


Core

by TeitoxAkashi



Series: The Historian [2]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alaude is a bit out of character, Angst, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Hurt/Comfort, Sequel to Second Life, Slow To Update, can be read as a stand-alone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-04-19 05:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 49,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14230173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeitoxAkashi/pseuds/TeitoxAkashi
Summary: His life was peaceful. His family was ever growing, increasing in number as day passed. He was happy, satisfied with his peaceful and slightly mundane life. He loved his peaceful and mundane life. Just as things couldn't get any better, Fate decided to rob everything from him, shattering his happiness, his sole reason to live.And Fate decided a path for him that turned his world upside-down, for the better and the worst.[A sequel to Second Life, featuring the First Generation of the Vongola Guardians and the First Historian, Caelum. Can be read as a stand-alone but there will be some terms that would be slightly confusing.]





	1. First Meeting (The First Turn)

" _Monsieur_  Gunter," He smiled at the old man as he placed the heavy box filled with metal weapon made by his father on the table. The old man, Gunter, returned the smile as he limped over to the box and opened it with care. He reached in and pulled out one of the many weapons arranged properly and with care, inspected the dagger. He whistled in amazement at the craftsmanship, running his finger gingerly at the sharp blade.

"As skilled as always, your father." Satisfied, Gunter placed back the dagger and reached to his back pocket to pull out a small pouch of silver coins and handed it to the ginger. Caelum took it and opened the pouch. He nodded and tilted the tattered cap down. " _Merci_. I must get going now." Just as he gave his farewell, he noticed a slightly crumpled letter on the ground as he turned. He picked it up and asked whether it was the old man's, to which it wasn't.

He turned the letter to see an address on it but there was no name, however. "Would you mind sending the letter, young man? It must have been one of my customers." While Caelum wasn't one to do something this troublesome, he wasn't going to say no. Besides, his instinct told him to do send the letter for something big might happen.

For good, or for the worst, he didn't know. It didn't matter, because his dear uncle had told him to always follow his instinct no matter what.

"I'll do it. Good day." With that, he ducked out the weapon dealer's stall, tucking the letter into his pocket with care. He pulled his cap lower as he swiftly weaved his way through the crowd, keeping his eyes from staring at anyone for a second too long. There were merchants and killers all around him after all, armed and definitely could kill him with ease. He still wanted to live.

Once he was out of the market and in a more secluded area, he took a look at the address once and nodded to himself. The house right at the edge of the village, the cold, big house which was said to be the cursed house for the incident many years back. Caelum honestly didn't believe that there was such thing as cursed house, no matter how true the rumours and housewives tales were.

But the house owner was always travelling, or so he had heard. It was because of that he didn't particularly liked going near that area. The house gave a lifeless, cold and dead vibe whenever the owner wasn't around. He huffed and pulled his cap up to ruffle his ginger hair before wearing the cap again.

And so, he walked to the house, memories serving him well as always because it didn't take him too long to find the house. Granted, it was one of the largest house around, but their village had one of the most confusing roads that could potentially be a labyrinth.

He blinked in surprise that the house had lost the vibe. Granted, it was still cold looking, but less dead. He took a deep breath and went to knock the door when a voice of a man, smooth and pleasant to Caelum's ears, was heard.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped and whirled around to come face-to-face with a beige-haired man, half a head taller than him. His icy blue eyes narrowed dangerously at him. Caelum blinked thrice and stammered slightly. "O-oh, uh. I'm looking for the owner of this house."

"That's me."

The ginger immediately pulled the letter out of his pocket and handed it to the man. "Um, I found this in the weapon dealer,  _Monsieur_ Gunter's stall." If possible, the man's eyes narrowed even more. He screamed internally, couldn't understand how that could happen. "How do I know that you didn't steal it?" That? That Caelum didn't know how to answer. He had no proof that he didn't steal that letter.

"You don't." He slowly said, carefully as he mentally arranged his words. "I've no proof that I didn't steal it, but I didn't. If you can't believe me, I can't do anything as well. However, the seal was still intact." He held his gaze, not backing down. His late uncle had said before that to make a point, he should square his shoulders and stand tall, eyes never wavering. He had also said that these methods should only be used to those whom he was sure that wouldn't potentially kill him, since it was the period where killers were everywhere.

Caelum, while he was never one to judge so quickly, knew that this man in front of him wouldn't kill him. Perhaps one day, but not today. This man who seemed so prideful wouldn't kill one just for the petty reason of thievery. (Deep inside, he hoped.)

The beige-haired man stared at him, studying him for a full minute before taking the letter from him. He nodded at him in what Caelum thought was gratitude before moving pass him and into the house. Caelum wasn't offended by that. He had somehow anticipated it. He nodded back at the man even though he had his back facing him and left without a word as well.

Though, he had to wonder. Why would anyone call this rather sophisticated man a monster?

\-------------------------------------------------------

The next time he met him was, well, in the meadows where no one goes to other than Caelum himself. There was wolves about so no one dared to go anywhere near the meadows nor near the forest. He didn't exactly meet the man himself, because he was asleep on the grass where dandelions flourished on every stretch of land, the wind blowing softly as the clouds shield him from the harsh glare of sunlight.

He had fallen asleep long since the second bell of the day rang from the church, signifying afternoon. The weather was too great for him not to fall asleep, so he did, with a leather covered book on his chest, hands intertwined on top of it. He had not felt any presence of life during the time he napped, or so he thought.

When he woke up, the sun was beginning to set slowly. He stretched like a cat and yawned. He rubbed his eyes to chase away the sleepiness and sat up before noticing a bright red apple sitting innocently beside him. He blinked in surprise and looked around. There was no one around, and it would be impossible for any animals to bring it to him. (Animals seemed to hate him despite him not having any ill intention, sadly.)

He stared at it, wondering who could it be and picked it up. The ginger smelled it and hummed. It wasn't rotten and it was rather fresh.

He smiled slightly behind his hand and stood up. He picked his book up from the ground and rolled his shoulders, making his way down to the village and back home.

"Cael! Cael!" He let out a breath as two girls rammed into him, pushing air out of his lung as he almost lost his balance. "You're back!" "Welcome back!" He chuckled at that and bent down to kiss them on their foreheads. "I'm home, Noella, Naeva." The one with warm, amber eyes grinned before the one with lilac eyes did as well. Their eyes were absolutely beautiful and breath-taking despite seeing it almost everyday, unlike his. His were scary and piercing, as people had said, as though he could see through their soul.

"Caelum," He looked up to his mother and smiled. "Welcome back." He went forward after untangling himself from the twins and hugged his mother. "I'm back." He pulled back to ask if she needed help preparing dinner, seeing that she was cooking when he arrived, only to be hit on the back of his head with a wooden ladle.

He winced and immediately reached up to his head, rubbing the sore spot. "You've been to the meadows, haven't you young man?" He laughed sheepishly, not denying the statement rather than question. She rolled her eyes. She didn't even need to hear his answer to know that he did. Honestly, her youngest son has always been the wayward child of the family. No matter how many times she had warned him not to go down the meadows and the woods, he would still do it.

"Come on, help me in the kitchen.  _Papa_  and Lucien are arriving soon."

He nodded and follow her, but not before placing the apple on the fruit basket on the dining table as the twins resumed playing around the house. The moment he stepped into the kitchen, he sweated. His mother was definitely cooking a feast for his father and older brother, who were finally coming home after two weeks away to another village for business purposes. Usually, it would be his older sister and sister-in-law helping his mother in the kitchen, but they were out to the tailor's for his sister's wedding dress, with his future brother-in-law.

"Caelum, you do realize that you're going to be seventeen next month, don't you?"

He sighed internally. 'Here we go again.'

"Yes."

"So, when are you going to find a wife?" He huffed as he washed the vegetables. "Not now, mother." "But you'll be seventeen soon! You ought to find a partner soon or you'll be alone for the rest of your life, like your uncle."

That was why he try to be in his mother's immediate attention. She had been pestering him to find someone to marry when he didn't even want to. She always used the excuse of to not end up like his beloved, late uncle, whom she apparently disliked with a passion. He didn't say anything despite not liking her insults towards his uncle, but he couldn't, didn't understand. He was merely sixteen, going seventeen. He had a long way ahead in front of him, where he would meet all those who would be in his life. He didn't understand the need to find a life partner this early in his life. He felt like he should be patient in searching his other half.

Apparently, his mother didn't think so.

He had long given up on explaining his reasons to her. "Mother, the fire." She stopped mid-rant about how his brother managed to charm his sister-in-law at the age of fifteen and everything and rushed to the stove to check on the fire. (He didn't need to hear that at  _all._ ) She paused, realizing that he was merely trying to avert her attention away from him and gave him a withering look.

He returned an indifferent, blank look as she sighed in exasperation. "Caelum, I know you don't want to be tied down now, but," No, she doesn't understand at all. "this is for your own good. Everyone bounds to leave the nest, especially boys like you. You're no longer a boy, in fact. You're already a man, my dear child. It'll soon be the time for you to spread your wings, my son."

He pointedly stayed silent, merely humming as an indication that he was, in fact, listening. (He ignored the gnawing feeling in him.) She sighed again, knowing that he wouldn't heed her advice. Out of the five siblings, Caelum, as the middle child, was the one with different mindset and ideals, like his uncle. She regretted leaving him with his uncle when he was younger for a long period of time. Look at what his uncle did to him!

Caelum had an inkling what his mother was thinking about. He said nothing of it however and simply continued on what he was doing.

\-------------------------------------------------------

For almost two weeks he didn't see the beige-haired man since their first encounter (and perhaps the one in the meadows), but they did meet each other, in the meadows somehow. If it was on purpose or simply a coincidence, Caelum didn't know. He was definitely surprised to see the man sitting on the grass, looking far off. He hesitated, debating whether to approach the man or leave.

'But.... He's somewhat interesting...' He ruffled his rather messy hair and huffed.

He walked up to the man and sat down beside him, with a reasonable distance between the both of them of course. "Hello." He greeted. The man looked at him and nodded before turning back to his daydreams. Caelum didn't mind as he pulled his legs closer and stared off into the distance as well, leaning his cheek on his knee. They sat there in silence, appreciating and basking in the beauty of nature, until Caelum murmured.

"Thank you for the apple."

The man turned to him with a raised eyebrow. Caelum pushed back the urge to look away from those icy blue eyes that clashed with his own metallic blue ones. Instead, he merely observed how it seemed to glint in amusement. "You were the one who gave me that apple here that day, right?"

He had expected the man to shrug or reply curtly or something, but no. The man didn't do that. "It was nothing. You returned that letter to me after all." He replied instead, still looking at Caelum.

Caelum resisted the urge to shiver because the man looked like he was slowly unravelling him with his sharp eyes, seemly looking for his weakness or something. "Ah, okay." He barely managed to choke out. "The letter was important, wasn't it?"

"It was."

Caelum nodded. "Though I didn't expect you to actually believe me."

"Really? It was rather expected." He tilted his head, or however he could do that with his head still leaning on his knees. "I've never met anyone who would answer me like that without trembling from head to toe." Caelum flushed a little and laughed sheepishly, scratching his cheeks.

"I guess so. Though, am I supposed to act differently?" Those icy blue eyes glinted more, definitely in amusement. "Anyone in the village would react differently."

'Even though you're human just like me?' That, Caelum didn't say but simply just laughed some more. He hummed and shrugged. "Who knows." He reached out his right hand to the man, smiling. "I'm Caelum."

The man smirked and grabbed his hand, shaking firmly. "Alaude."

When he released his hand, Caelum sighed in content and leaned back, lying down on the grass, all but sprawled out. He didn't mind the fact that Alaude was beside him, clearly staring. He folded his arms behind his head as a pillow and stared at the sky, clouds rolling slowly.

"Are you a traveller?" He asked.

"Not in particular."

"A merchant?"

"No."

Caelum scrunched his eyebrows in concentration. "Then what do you do? You never seemed to be around for a long time." That, Alaude raised an eyebrow. He had never expected this ginger to be so observant and sharp. Not to mention that he was, how should Alaude put, very casual with someone he had just acquainted.

Either the ginger was naive, or confident enough that they would get along. (Not that Alaude was going to deny, because Caelum seemed to be the type of people he could tolerate.)

"An agent." It was vague, but it had Caelum whistling, definitely impressed. "You do rather suit that. I actually can't imagine you doing anything else." Alaude was absolutely intrigued by the other now. Normally, people would ask for more information about his work, which very much annoy him even though it was clear that he wouldn't say anything else. (He does work for a  _secret_  intelligence agency.) Caelum? He didn't even ask and simply went with it.

"Oh?"

"Yep."

"What about you?" He asked instead. "Hmm," Caelum hummed. "I'm helping out my father in his shop. He's a blacksmith. Though, I'm just an errand boy currently." He chuckled, more to himself. "I haven't figure out what I want to do yet."

"I see." With that, they ended their conversation and stayed silent yet again, either daydreaming or simply watching the sky. At some point, Caelum had managed to fallen asleep and rolled to his side, facing towards Alaude.

Alaude tore his eyes off the bushes he was staring at and looked towards the sleeping, defenceless ginger. Alaude couldn't help but wonder if Caelum was only acting or he was genuine. Even though he knew he was a killer (of sort), he didn't even care and let his guard down easily. It was as though he trusted Alaude.

Alaude was wary, yet he was lured in by the younger man. Perhaps he was always surrounded by people who would always be wary of him regardless how long he knew them, but he had never met someone so, how should he put it,  _trusting_. In his line of work, trust was, and  _is_ , a weakness. No matter how long you knew your comrades, one should always be on guard with each other because you'd never know when and who would betray you one day.

It was a common knowledge, and a common instinct for Alaude. And yet, this man here had trusted him the moment they shook hands, perhaps the moment they met for the very first time. It was unnerving, yet refreshing for Alaude. (He reminded himself that the blond he had met during more than one of his excursion in Palermo was very similar to the ginger.)

He pursed his lips when the blond popped out in his head.

' _Storm has stirred and the people of my village are living in terror, so under the suggestion of Cozart, I've created a vigilante group. It's still unnamed and unknown to many but a handful. I know you'd reject me, my dear friend, but I request for your cooperation when time comes._ '

He sighed inaudibly. He had written back a decline, short and curt, and had sent it back to the blond by messenger birds. The blond's idea was good, but for now, Alaude simply wish to continue his job as an agent for his agency. (Years after, when both his agency started to fall apart because of the rising conflict and the situation in Palermo worsen, he permanently shut down the agency, annihilating the betrayers and joined the vigilante.)

He sighed again as he broke himself from his train of thoughts, looking at the still sleeping ginger and shook his head in exasperation.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back from that long absent. My exam had finished like a month ago and now I'm free! With a sequel!
> 
> Actually, this story had been in the draft since last year, I don't know, March? Yeah. I've been wondering if I wanted to post it up now because I haven't exactly finish plotting the whole story. But then I decided to screw it and just publish it now. (Hopefully, I won't regret it at some point.) (Tagging this story is a pain in the back. It won't let me tag G. ==)
> 
> Those who had read Second Life, I apologize. Ryuuichi, Tsuna and Co. will not appear in the story! Maybe until the very last moments but who knows.
> 
> This story sets back into the mid to late 1800s, where the Cosa Nostra started. (I'll say this first. I've little to no knowledge about living in France and Italy in the 1800s so I kind of winged a lot of thing.)
> 
> This story will be slightly fast-paced and unfortunately, there won't be a happy ending. For those who have read Second Life would've probably guessed it. Well, knowing how Vongola fell to Secondo's hand, it was actually a given, right?  
> 
> I'll probably be slow on updates as well..... Probably.  
> 
> Merci= Thank you. 
> 
> Monsieur= Something akin to Mister or Sir.
> 
> Caelum's family consist of his parents, his older brother named Lucien, his older sister, his younger sisters (Twins), and his late uncle who had passed away when he was twelve. 
> 
> Noella is the older one while Naeva is the younger one. Noella have amber eyes while Naeva have Lilac eyes. (I kept mixing it up for some reason.)
> 
> I can't remember what else I need to explain in this chapter so please ask if there's anything confusing!
> 
> Wattpad= https:/ /www.wattpad.com/ story/ 134267502-core  
> [Remove the spacing]
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	2. (Re)Gained Bonds

Ever since their first real interaction, Caelum and Alaude had met up occasionally, mostly it was a coincidence. They had never planned to meet each other, but whenever they bumped into each other, they would somehow decided to spend their day together, either talking or enjoying each other's presences. It wasn't everyday, but they had seen each other on the street every now and then.

It was no different, on their nth meeting. This time, however, it was planned from the week before. Apparently, on the day they met the week before, Alaude was about to go off to the neighbouring village for his job and had no time to stop and chat, so they had moved it to the day after Alaude returned. They met up in the meadows and simply talked about literally anything.

Alaude wasn't much of a talker, so he mostly just listened, giving his opinion once in awhile. Caelum didn't feel uncomfortable and merely stayed the chipper one between the both of them. It was rather unusual for Alaude, as most would be uncomfortable with one-sided conversation.

He had realized during their multiple meetings, that Caelum wasn't, by no means, a pushover even with how easily he had gave his trust to Alaude. At first, Alaude thought that the ginger wore his heart on his sleeves, but he was wrong. Caelum had not wore his heart on his sleeves, had never done that and probably would never do it. He had told Alaude a lot about himself, about his viewpoints, belief and perspectives, about almost everything that one would think it was all of him, but it wasn't.

Alaude had came to realize that whatever Caelum had told him was merely a scratch on the surface, merely a small chip of who Caelum truly was.

He was fascinated, in short. Alaude had never met someone so complicated before, so he was definitely fascinated. Even the blond wasn't as complicated as Caelum. In fact, the blond was merely a simple man with complicated ambition.

As he stared at Caelum talking animatedly, he noticed the bandage on the man's shoulder, briefly peeking out from under his shirt. "What happened?" He asked, pointing at his own shoulder as an indication.

Caelum stopped short, mouth clicking close as he gently touched his shoulder, a wry smile appearing on his lips. "Oh this? Hm, how should I say? I got into a fight?" He grinned sheepishly. Alaude's eyes narrowed but he merely shrug it off. "A traveller from a far away village came last week when you weren't around. He, wasn't the most polite traveller? He was looking around my father's shop when I was on duty. Tried to bargain a tad bit too much to be acceptable and was too rude.

"I had had enough and politely ask him to leave, to which you can guess what happened." He shrugged again. "Got nicked on the shoulder by a twin dagger. Nothing much."

Alaude was ready to kill when Caelum finished, but apparently it wasn't necessary when Caelum grinned in a feral way, a feat that Alaude didn't think Caelum could do. "I had tied him down and balded him with the same dagger. He may or may not lost a teeth or two--- or four by the time he left with a warning."

Caelum left out the fact that he was actually stabbed on the shoulder by the twin dagger. It wasn't deep since the traveller didn't get too far before Caelum had brought him down. He had lived with his brother- and his uncle before he passed- for his whole life after all. (His brother was a fighter when he was younger, to which he had soften as he grew up, and had taught Caelum how to fight somehow. His uncle, well, gave him lessons on general weakness of a human body, pressure points and all.)

And it wasn't much of a lost for him because he had gained a twin dagger, which he had gave his father to melt into something new or whatever his father did to it.

He could see Alaude was speechless since he had not told him that he could fight. Well, he never told anyone before actually, and no one asked him before. His lean frame had most people thinking that he was weak, most of the time, not that he mind. It was in his favour this way.

Alaude contemplated. "You know how to use a gun then, I presume?" He got a hum and nod in reply, and somehow, he wasn't surprised anymore. "A little, only because my father had taught me before. It has been a long time since I last used one." Caelum sweated to himself. "Then again, I've only learned it once."

"Shall I teach you then?" He blinked at Alaude in surprise. "Why?" Alaude twitched. Why indeed. He would never bothered with anyone before, and he doubt that he would ever bother with anyone, much less teaching them. He wanted to teach Caelum, however. The urge was so strong that those words slipped out of his lips before he could stop them.

"Self-defense." He answered curtly. Caelum raised an eyebrow at the beige-haired man but questioned no further. He shrugged and nodded instead. "Sure. Why not?" He smiled. "Ah but perhaps not now. Let's just enjoy the peace for now." Caelum all but fell back onto the grass, sighing in contentment.

He closed his eyes and focused on the sounds, the barely audible shift from Alaude, the rustles of leaves on tree and  _everything_. It was so relaxing, that he had let his guard down unknowingly. Not fully, but he did. The previous week was taxing. Without the presence of Alaude, the merchants and rogues were rowdy. Alaude was actually the reason why their village was peaceful without any major fights or war. The man himself doesn't know, but because of how strong he was, no one dared to touch their village lest they suffer his wrath.

(In reality, the man really did nothing for the village, nor had he protected the village or anything. He wasn't even the village's leader or anything. Everyone was simply scared of him because he was, in fact, the strongest in their village.)

Nonetheless, it was one long week. It was strange, the fact that Caelum found it absolutely relaxing around Alaude. It was a similar feeling he had when he was with his uncle, but oh so different as well. Whenever Alaude was in the village, either for a short while or a long period of time, Caelum found peace and tranquility easily.

Even his brother and sisters had notice the significant change in him, especially returning home after another day spent with the beige-haired man. Which, it led to an interrogation from his older brother, Lucien. His brother had found it strange that he had returned smiling more brightly and more genuinely and in a very good mood after a day outside. Usually, he would return with a blank look and his usual facade, since everyday was mostly repetitive to him.

Lucien had always knew which button to push to get him talking, ending with Caelum spilling everything reluctantly. Lucien was surprised yet happy for Caelum, nonetheless. It was fortunate for Caelum as Lucien was someone who knew how to keep a secret. (Well, it wasn't as though he wanted to keep it a secret on his acquaintancy with Alaude. He just didn't have the time to tell his family.) It reminded him of the time when both of them were younger, more mischievous and playful.

It had also led him to promising Lucien to bring Alaude back sometime soon for dinner. (He mentally twitched at that.)

"So," He started slowly. "Are you free tonight?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Great. Uh," Caelum struggled. He had never invited anyone to his house before. It wasn't as though he had no friends (he had a few, but none that he would call close friends), he just never found the want to do it. He didn't know why but he didn't like the thought of them seeing his private life. He wasn't ashamed of his family or anything, heck he was very proud of his family. It was just, he felt as though inviting them over equate to showing the more vulnerable side of him.

And yet, he was inviting Alaude. He wasn't quite sure yet what Alaude was to him, an acquaintance? A friend? He wasn't sure yet, but he wanted to invite Alaude over. That was a first to him.

"Want to come over? For dinner." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as Alaude blinked in surprise. "My brother has been pestering me to invite you over after he.." He made strange gestures with his hands that Alaude didn't understand. "It's okay if you don't want to though! I'll just-"

His sentence was cut off when Alaude chuckled. His eyes widen, for it was the first time he saw Alaude laughing, or, as close to laughing as he could get. It sounded pleasant, he wasn't going to lie. He liked it. "I will, if you don't mind."

Caelum couldn't stop the wide grin from appearing. "It's an honor to have you over."

\----------------------------------------------------------

"I'm home." Lucien looked up from his place on the couch with his wife and froze. Caelum, seemly noticing it, gave his brother a withering look as he offered to hang Alaude's coat on the hanger. "Lucien, where's mother?" He asked, breaking his brother out of his trance. Lucien blinked a few times and stood up, brushing his hair slightly. "A-ah. She's upstairs."

Caelum nodded and gestured to his brother. "Alaude, this is my older brother, Lucien, and his wife," He gestured to the woman with dark blue hair, heavily pregnant as she smiled from where she was on the couch. "Colette." The beige-haired man nodded at them both. "This is Alaude." Caelum patted him on the back as Lucien stepped forward to shake his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Alaude nodded and return the greeting, shaking Lucien's hand firmly. It was when they let go that two girls, twins clearly, ran down from the stairs, giggling and gasped when they saw Caelum. "Cael!" They rammed into the ginger's side as Caelum pushed back the wince when they hit his hipbone. Nonetheless, Caelum laughed and return the hug.

"Noella, Naeva, don't be rude to the guest and greet him properly." The twins pulled away slightly as they still clung onto Caelum and peeked at Alaude who was staring at them with indifferent eyes, if not amused. They exchanged a look before smiling to themselves. They detached from Caelum and skipped to Alaude, innocently staring up at him. "I'm Noella!" "And I'm Naeva! We're nine!" The twins tilted their heads and asked in unison. "What's your name?"

Caelum covered up his lips to stop himself from laughing out loud at how Alaude shifted a little at their innocent act. For all he knew, his younger sisters were as mischievous as they could get. However, he was impressed when Alaude calmly crouched to their eye level and smiled a little. "I'm Alaude. Nice to meet you." The twins grinned. "It's nice to meet you too!"

Caelum shook his head in exasperation when his mother finally came down from upstairs followed by Eleanor who was tying her hair up into a messy bun. "Lucien, could you please inform your father to come home? Dinner will be- Oh my!" Alaude stood up and bowed at her.

"Good evening. I'm Alaude." Caelum's mother smiled pleasantly at the greeting and returned them before shooting Caelum a look that had him holding his hands up. "Caelum, you should have informed me that your friend is coming over." She immediately changed and bubbled over to Alaude. "I apologize for the short notice of my visit."

She giggled and patted him on his cheek reassuringly. "Oh don't worry, young man. It's a pleasure to have you over. Please, take a sit! Dinner will be done in a few moment!" She looked towards Caelum. "You better help, Caelum." The ginger shrugged with a smile as he headed to the kitchen with his older sister. She ushered him to the couch as the twins pulling him along.

"Behave, okay, Noella, Naeva?" And she went back to the kitchen. The twins were still grinning up at him as they both settled beside him. "You're the one that changed Cael, right?" Naeva asked. "He must be." Noella said. "Cael never brought anyone home before."

Naeva nodded in agreement as they said in unison. "Cael must really like him."

Alaude awkwardly stared at the twins as they conversed with themselves, sharing the same smile. All too innocent yet all too knowing. He could tell that they love their brother a lot, and wasn't the least pleased that Alaude managed to change Caelum, only by a small bit but the impact was there and it was all done unknowingly. And yet, he could tell that they're happy that he did.

They were happy that Caelum was happy.

"Cael is an idiot sometimes." The one with amber eyes said, followed by Naeva. "Yup. He's an idiot sometimes. But he's nice and kind. We love him."

"We do." They looked up at him. "Take care of him. Don't hurt him, okay?" "Protect him, please?"

Alaude blinked in surprise. He was pretty sure that the twins were merely nine, still pure and untainted. He was sure that they knew nothing of the dirty, dark world. They don't, but they knew it wasn't a nice place. That their brother needed to be cared for, just like how he had cared for them. That their brother needed a shield as well, just as how he always shielded them.

They knew that their brother needed someone to be there for him, and they weren't the one.

Alaude's eyes soften as he nodded. "I will."

"Promise?"

"I promise." They grinned at him brightly. 'They really love him, huh.'

(Colette chuckled to herself at how her brother-in-law's friend was talking animatedly with the twins, or as animated as Alaude could be. She wasn't all that close with Caelum, despite knowing him for years after she started seeing his brother. She was glad that he has a friend he could trust for she was worried of him. More often than not, she would see him staring into oblivion with a solemn look and a lonely back.

She was glad, and she could tell that her husband was too.)

\---------------------------------------------------------

Alaude huffed as he followed Caelum to the attic, the dark stairs lit up only by small fire on the candle the ginger was holding. Caelum chuckled as he looked back at the other with an amused smile. "Overwhelmed?" Alaude gave him a withering glare, which was clearly ignored. "Your family is rather," He struggled with his words for a moment. "Eccentric." He earned another laugh, which he had heard from Caelum for the nth time the whole day. (It was nice.)

"Yep. It wouldn't be a family if it isn't eccentric." Caelum gestured him into his room, which was the attic as he held the door for the other. Since their house was rather small with their ever growing family, he took the attic. He liked it, seeing that he liked watching the stars shining and blinking down at him. Alaude was staying over, insisted (read; forced) by his mother since it was really late into the night by the time they realized it.

Alaude tried to explain that he would be fine and he could take care of himself but the older woman wouldn't take no for an answer. Caelum wasn't much of a help as he was laughing his wits out from the side while his mother fussed over the beige-haired man. After a series of puppy eyes from the twins and persuasion from Caelum, he relented.

"I've only one bed so we'll have to share." Caelum said nonchalantly, not minding the fact as he dug through his closet to find some clothes that would fit Alaude for the man to change into. Alaude's built wasn't that much different from Caelum's beside the fact that he was fitter than Caelum, who was lanky in comparison. He was used to sharing his bed with his brother and sisters after all.

"It'll be cold up here so change into these." Alaude stared at the clothes that Caelum handed to him and took it gingerly. Caelum was being so casual about this that it unnerved Alaude a little. If Alaude didn't know better, he would have thought that Caelum was lying about him being the first person he had invited.

"Thank you."

Caelum nodded stiffly at that and walked out of the room, giving him some privacy to change. How strange of him when they were both males. It was greatly appreciated, however. A moment later and a series of muffled shouting downstairs, he came back into the room with two cups of warm tea with flushed face. By that time, Alaude had changed into the clothes he was given, his own clothes folded neatly beside him as he raised an eyebrow at how distraught Caelum was.

Caelum shook his head and handed the man a cup of tea before sipping his own cup. "Here." Alaude thanked him as he peered out of the window. "I, uh, just realized that if you're uncomfortable with sharing the bed, you can have it. I'll sleep downstairs."

"No, it's okay." Caelum did a double take. "I admit that I'm not used to this but I'll manage. Besides, it's  _your_  bed." He pursed his lips. "Well, if you say so." He finished the tea in one go and placed it on the small night table beside his bed. He shifted the pillows he had on the bed just so that they would have more space to fit the two of them comfortably. Fortunately, it was a rather large bed seeing that it was the one he used to sleep in with Lucien and Eleanor when they were younger.

They soon settled on the bed, staring up at the night sky through the window in silence. "I like your family." Alaude suddenly said as Caelum traced the stars with his eyes before turning his head to look at Alaude.

He shifted to his side and chuckled. "I'm glad. They can be a bit weird sometimes." Alaude nodded, could clearly tell. Caelum's father surprised him the most, having to notice that he wield weapons for a living at first glance. Then again, Caelum's father was a blacksmith and a weapon maker. Caelum's mother, on the other hand, saw the person he used to be when he was merely a kid, naive and innocent. Eleanor and Colette showed him the hospitality one would give to a family and the twins, well, they were unique in a way he couldn't describe.

It was a loving family, reminding him of what he had until it was robbed away from him. It reminded him of the emptiness he felt for years, the lost warmth of a family until he met a certain blond and his friends.

He liked Caelum's family, truthfully and sincerely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeeeeeee- 
> 
> Noella and Naeva are actually the characters that I've hard time writing. They're like, oblivious but then not. I get a bit crept out sometimes when I imagined them. They're a bit like chaotic Reborn whenever he's up to something with that grin on his face. Yep. Definitely.
> 
> Fun Fact= Noella and Naeva likes to secretly play tiny little tricks on people that would unnerve them. The twins would always get away with it because the victim wouldn't even realize what had happened. Well, except if said person is Caelum. He had watched over them ever since they were born. He knew what they did 99% all the time.
> 
> Fun Fact= Caelum went back to his room with a blush was, well, his brother had teased him about now clinging to Alaude when he sleep. Caelum has bad sleeping posture and whenever he sleeps with someone about the same age or older than him, he would outright cling onto them. [Actually, I've no idea why he was embarrassed about because I (re)wrote this chapter a month back. I can't remember what happened.]
> 
> (Alaude's actually two years older than Caelum.)
> 
> Fun Fact= When they woke up the next day, Caelum was actually clinging onto Alaude. Imagine the awkward morning they had. Caelum couldn't even look at Alaude without blushing for like, the whole day.
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	3. Still

Caelum clapped excitedly as cheers from the guests echoed when his older sister, dressed in pure white and her husband, officially, kissed. He couldn't help but smile so widely at how happy Eleanor was that his cheeks actually hurt. He was absolutely delighted for his sister, and he could see that the rest of his family member was too. Alaude, who was beside him, dressed in a suit for once, clapped as well.

The wedding song soon turned into waltz, where the newly wedded couple danced slowly to it in the middle of the hall, joined by several other couples, with no one except each other in their eyes. Caelum lowered his hands as his eyes soften. His sister was finally tied together with her beloved, and he couldn't be more relieved for her. Mark was a great person, and Caelum was glad that Eleanor chose him. He trusted Mark to take care of his sister.

He exchanged a look with the beige-haired man beside him and nodded his head to the courtyard, walking out of the rather crowded hall. Alaude followed him out as he sighed, loosening his tie. It was a bit too stuffy for him inside the hall. He unbuttoned the vest he was wearing and plopped down under a tree with white flowers at full bloom.

He smiled at the older man who sat down beside him with a relief look. He chuckled. Alaude really didn't like crowds. "Tired?" He asked, which was replied with a hum. "Me too." He glanced back into the hall through the window to see his sister smiling and laughing happily and sighed again, this time, in contentment.

"Thank you for inviting me." Alaude suddenly said. Caelum raised an eyebrow at him and patted him on his back roughly. "Why are you thanking me? It's obvious you're invited. Everyone regards you as one of us now." True to what he said, his family had taken a liking on Alaude and he was officially considered as their family member. Caelum had no complain to that and simply laughed when Alaude tried to convince them not to, which was a futile attempt for the beige-haired man.

Alaude rolled his eyes at him and leaned back on the tree trunk. "It has been a year, huh." Caelum said in a way that Alaude could hear both the pleasure and weariness in his voice. Alaude nodded. "It has been a long year." He actually couldn't believe that he himself would get involved with Caelum after the first time they met, well, maybe he did, but that was beside the point. He wasn't exactly used to it, honestly. He was more of a distant person, so even he himself found it unbelievable.

He wasn't complaining, however. It was a really nice change.

"Hey," He broke out of his trance and glanced at Caelum. "Have you found anyone you want to spend the rest of your life with?" He blinked at the question. He didn't understand why would Caelum ask when he clearly knew the answer. "No. You?" He questioned back, to which Caelum shook his head. "Of course not." The ginger sighed.

"There's no one who caught my attention, honestly. The girls of this village are beautiful, yes, no point in denying, but I just don't find them..." His face scrunched up, thinking of a kinder word. "Appealing."

"Did your mother tried matchmaking you with the baker's daughter?"  _Again_  was left unsaid as Caelum's shoulder sagged. He looked somewhat sheepish. For what reason, Alaude didn't know. "You noticed, didn't you?" Alaude scoffed. "Of course I did. That woman was giving you that look the whole time when we were in the bakery." Caelum groaned and buried his face into his palms.

"I had clearly said that I'm not interested in finding a significant other but she wouldn't relent." He raised his head and looked at Alaude, who was clearly amused, in mock horror. "She was  _persistent_." Alaude shook his head in exasperation. Of course the woman would. Caelum was one of the kindest men in their village, not to mention good looking too. (Caelum would rather die than admit that he was handsome, much to everyone's chagrin.)

"I don't get why mother wanted me to marry someone. Her nags has increased each day!" Caelum huffed. "She really didn't understand whenever I said it was still too early for me. Commitment is scary." The last part was muttered under his breath but the beige-haired man heard it just as clear.

Alaude could only hum in agreement. While he was one who would definitely commit to anyone (or anything) he liked, case point; his job, he understood why Caelum was afraid of commitment. Commitment meant pouring everything one has to someone or something, showing and doing everything for them or it, even if it meant that one would be vulnerable for a period of time.

Caelum, he wasn't one who liked showing anyone his vulnerable side. He wasn't like Alaude himself, who had forgotten his vulnerable side after all the years of blood lust. Caelum knew very well of his vulnerable side and always tried his hardest to hide it everyday to the point it wore him out. He couldn't just forget about it, not with how he was.

Alaude patted the ginger hair as Caelum stiffen before laughing slightly. Caelum gave him a grin, the tensed, serious atmosphere dispersed almost immediately as though it was never there before. He suddenly straighten up, brushing the dirt off his black trousers and held out his hands to Alaude.

"Let's dance!"

Alaude gave him an incredulous look, to which Caelum scoffed. "Come on. It's not like anyone would see us." Alaude rolled his eyes and grasped the hand. Caelum pulled his up and they both swayed to the distant music from the hall. Caelum laughed as they themselves fasten their pace without a care, twirling and twirling as the wind softly blew.

Alaude smiled.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Business was slow. It was as expected, but it was still slightly depressing for Caelum. He sighed to himself as he played with a pocket knife. He was fixing the spring and decided to test it out for a few moments (since there was no customer) when a bloodied Alaude staggered in, clutching his side.

Caelum looked up from the knife, only to drop it in surprise at the beige-haired man's entrance. He gasped, rushed over to the man and placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. He gave Alaude a once-over and cursed under his breath. "Damn hell. Come!" 

He guided the man to the backroom, stumbling a few times when Alaude almost fell. He helped him onto the chair and rushed to get the bandages and alcohol stored in the cabinet before rushing to get a pail of water and cloth.

He pulled another chair over the man and placed everything on the small table. "Strip." He said as he soaked the cloth. Alaude didn't say anything as he peeled his button-down shirt off, ruined with blood stain and dropped it on the floor, seeing that Caelum doesn't care much about it. "Hold still." He instinctively tensed when Caelum started cleaning the blood and dirt off his wound.

Caelum made a sound at the back of his throat when he noticed that it wasn't all too deep and didn't need suture. He concentrated on cleaning the wound and applied the alcohol with care and as gently as he could. By the time he finished bandaging Alaude's torso, he was sweating and exhausted. Both mentally and physically.

"Thanks." Alaude murmured, dizzy from blood lost. Caelum pinned him with what it seemed like a concern-yet-angry look. "What happened?" Alaude stayed silent, not willing to answer. Not when he was still filled with anger and  _emptiness_. It was expected, that his agency would fall one day, but it was his life, his  _pride_. When it crumbled into dust of nothing and dark, red blood and corpses, all was left of him was merely a husk.

His fingers twitched at the ghost sound of gunfire and screams, the pain of being stabbed by the agent he had partnered up with the longest and the feeling of his throat under Alaude's hands, constricted until there was no longer the need for air passing through it.

Caelum frowned but didn't pry when Alaude didn't reply him. Instead, he sighed and stood up to clear the mess. He washed the dried blood of his hands and cleaned the pail, disposing both the stained cloth and bloodied shirt into the fire he started on the coals, letting it burn. (After making sure that there wasn't anything in the pocket of the shirt of course. Hell, Alaude didn't even protest when he threw his shirt in.)

He disappeared from Alaude's sight, leaving him to collect his thoughts slowly with the soft sound of shuffling indicating that the ginger was still in the shop. Alaude didn't even shift into a more comfortable position despite the dull pain on his side, merely staring at the burning fire with a blank look.

Caelum came back with a rather baggy shirt and a cup of tea. He sat the cup down and wordlessly helped Alaude into the shirt, who didn't show any resistance before handing him the tea, making sure that the beige-haired man wouldn't drop it and burn himself. With that, he sat back and they both stared at the fire.

The strong smell of iron was slowly replaced by the smell of burnt woods and coals.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn't until night time, after Caelum had brought Alaude back to the man's home and decided to stay the night, that Alaude finally spoke. He was changing his bandage and checking for any infections when Alaude slowly recounted what had happened. How the agency reached its peak and everything was set alight, how he killed everyone for hours, non-stop because of the adrenaline and will to survive until he was the only breathing person standing above everyone, soaked in blood that wasn't his.

Caelum didn't interrupt him, didn't say anything even as Alaude's voice seemed so cold yet so shaken and distant. He simply listened tentatively, all the while grasping Alaude's hands tightly. He was silent even when Alaude finished. The beige-haired man wondered if Caelum was disgusted by him, by how he was. He had to resist the urge to pull his hands away from Caelum to keep him from tainted, but Caelum wouldn't let go. Hell, he didn't even have the energy to fight back.

He knew he was tainted long ago, ever since he was a child. (In the back of his mind, the high-pitched shriek of his aunt-  _who's dead dead **dead**_ \- who screamed at him, calling him a cursed child,  _satan's son_.) But he had never felt the need to scrub the invisible blood off his skin until it was raw and red so badly before.  _He was disgusted by himself_.

He was surprised when Caelum pulled him to his chest, holding him tightly as he patted him on his head.

' _I'm here. I'm alive. It's alright._ '

He balled his hands on Caelum's shirt tightly, hands shaking.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Two weeks passed as the incident was left unsaid. Alaude disappeared a week after Caelum patched him up, leaving the ginger on the edge every second. He knew that Alaude hadn't left the village somehow, but he couldn't seem to find the injured man. He had went to his house a few times but Alaude wasn't there. He was so worried to the point that he kept spacing out and almost cut himself while he was making dinner with his mother, who was talking about something that never registered in his mind.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, successfully breaking Caelum out of his trance. He blinked at her before shaking his head slowly, resumed cutting the vegetables. "No..." He murmured, not willing to look at her, knowing that she was frowning. She sighed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Caelum, it'll be fine." He hummed, nodding. He had never told her what happened but she always knew that something was wrong. It was almost impossible for him to hide things from her, really, but her reassurance was nice. It took some of the weight off Caelum's chest. Honestly, while she was insufferable sometime, she was the best mother he could ever ask for.

He smiled. "Yeah."

His mother smiled as well and slapped his bottom, making him yelp in surprise as he whirled around with a red face. "Get yourself together!" Caelum gave her a look torn between exasperation and indignity as she skipped to the stove. He huffed and shook his head. Colette, who came back into the kitchen with the dried fishes just in time to see it giggled into her hand.

"Cael!" He perked up when Noella, carrying baby Leo, came running into the kitchen with a huge grin. "Alaude is here!" The moment he heard the name he had rushed out, dropping the knife onto the counter without much thought. Right at the porch was Alaude was smiling and patting Naeva's head, who was clinging onto his leg.

Alaude looked up at him the moment he noticed his presence and nodded. Caelum stared at him blankly, softly asking Naeva and Noella to leave for a moment. The twins exchanged a look before skipping away. The moment he was alone with Alaude by the porch, he stalked closer and punched the beige-haired man in the face.

"You arse." He seethed as Alaude brought a hand up to nurse his cheek. "You are  _injured_ , and you  _disappeared_  without a word. You-"

"I'm leaving." Caelum's eyes widen, mouth snapping shut. His hands that curled tightly into fists slacken as he processed the two words. ".. What?" He choked out. He did a double take and covered his eyes with his right hand. "Okay wait wait  _wait_. One second." He heaved, millions of things running in his mind. "Okay. Upstairs." He said before peddling back into the house and up to his room, closely followed by the other.

They both sat on the Caelum's bed, facing each other. "Talk."

Alaude closed his eyes and sighed through his nose, shoulder slumping where exhaustion settled in as he showed Caelum a weaker side of his. "I've told you about the acquaintance of mine in Italy, have I not?"

"You have told me about your  _friend_ , yes." He gave Caelum a glare that held no heat for that correction, but said nothing else about it and continued with his explanation. "Things had gotten worst and he required my immediate assistance." 'They're my  _family_  and they need my  _help_. I cannot leave them.' was left unsaid though Caelum could hear them just fine.

"But your injury haven't fully heal yet." "It has."  _Lies,_  Caelum wanted to say but stayed silent instead.

Caelum rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed, both in weariness and resignation. Seeing that the other had made up his mind, there was literally nothing Caelum could do. Besides, who was he to stop Alaude from doing what he wants? Even when he was worried about him. He looked up and met the icy blue orbs without hesitation.

"So you'll be leaving."

"Yes." He smiled wryly at that and slowly nodded. He sighed again and flopped down onto his bed. "Well, when?"

Alaude really wasn't surprised by that, seeing that it was Caelum he was talking to. Really, it was no surprise at all. He was, in fact, grateful that the ginger was so understanding, even though he had just punched him in the face. (It wasn't as though it hurt, physically, but he probably deserve that for worrying Caelum sick like that, if the eyebags had anything to do with him.)

"In three days time."

"Will you be coming back?" He looked up to the sky through the window before answering. "Who knows."

Caelum huffed at that, eyes lowering for a moment. "Okay. Okay." He ruffled his hair and sat back up. "Then let's go hunting tomorrow morning. For bear meat."

"No." Alaude deadpanned, causing the ginger to laugh, slightly strained. "It's a joke." Caelum shook his head, a small, sad smile on his lips. "It means that we'll have to really make use of these three days. I'm going to make you go crazy." He grinned. Alaude rolled his eyes, but if anything, he agreed to it.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

"Alaude!" The said man turned around at the shout, in the midst of climbing up the black horse. He patted the horse's mane to calm it down as the ginger ran up to him. Caelum smiled in relief that he had made it in time as he slowed his pace to a stop in front of Alaude.

"Good, you haven't left." He laughed breathlessly. "I was able to catch you, good." He heaved loudly, ruffling his already messy hair, a black soot staining his cheeks. Alaude raised an eyebrow. He was sure that they had properly bade each other the night before.

"Here." He was taken aback when Caelum handed him a dagger, wrapped in leather. He wordlessly took it and inspect it. He glanced at the ginger, who nodded at him before taking the dagger out of its sheath and blinked. It wasn't perfect as it was slightly crooked and out of shape but it was a dagger. A proper dagger.

"It's not perfect, I know." Alaude ran his finger over the single amber jewel on the handle. It was a fake jewel, he knew, but it was nice. "Did you made this?"

"Uhm, it was a work in progress since awhile back, but I managed to finished it just in time." Caelum smiled just as Alaude saw a minuscule carving at the end of the handle. A 'C'. "It's for you." Caelum scratched his cheeks sheepishly. "Well, I wanted to give you something. Initially I thought of giving you one of father's work but..." He laughed nervously.

Alaude smiled. "It's perfect. Thank you." He really appreciated it. No one had personally made him anything, for a reason or not. He tighten his grasp on it. "I'll cherish it."

Caelum nodded, hummed cheerfully. The sun had started rising, rays of sunlight shining across the sky. Caelum's smile turned loop-sided, eyes half lidded. "This is it then." Alaude nodded.

Caelum breathed inaudibly through his nose as Alaude kept the dagger into the small bag he had slung over his shoulder, making sure that it was properly kept. Caelum reached out his right hand. "Take care, Alaude."

Alaude shook his hand one last time (for the time being) with a solemn look, their touch lingered ever so slightly as they let go. "You as well, Caelum."

Alaude nodded at him before turning to his horse and mounted it as it whined and shifted at the extra weight. Alaude pulled up his hood and gave the rein a sharp tug. The horse galloped across the road and disappeared into the woods, Alaude never once turned around.

Caelum could only watch him go, could only stand there as cold loneliness slowly seeped into his heart, a shiver running down his spine. He looked up at the sky, colors slowly filling up the previously dark sky. He smiled and whispered to the wind. "Should fate allow."

As Alaude's horse galloped through the woods, passing by the trees and bushes and going deeper into the woods, he couldn't help but smile to himself. 'Until we meet again.'

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weellpp, there goes Alaude. Oh don't worry. He'll reappear.
> 
> I was proofreading this and saw I wrote Alaude smiling more than twice and such and I was like, wow did I made him more human than the fandom had deemed him to be or did I made him slightly out of character.
> 
> Two new character! Mark and baby Leo! I suppose everyone know who Mark is but baby Leo is Lucien's son. 
> 
> Fun Fact= I didn't plan for Alaude's agency to fall...? It just happened because I've no idea how to fill things in. I think. 
> 
> Fun Fact= Headcanon for Alaude, his parents had died when he was seven, because of an ambush or something. His mother's sister, who had hated him the first time she saw him, was forced to take him in for the first few years. She abused Alaude, both mentally and physically until she suddenly died. (Maybe he killed her, maybe she didn't, who knows.) 
> 
> Fun Fact= Alaude met Giotto when he was on a mission. Giotto somehow managed to get Alaude owe him a favour. Who knows what happened, but Giotto certainly wouldn't say anything.
> 
> Time set about a year after Caelum and Alaude first met. Vongola was making themselves famous even though it was still unnamed. (Vongola gained its name after Shimon was formed as a shadow. It wasn't a drunken mistake to name it after clams. Nope. Definitely not.) Somehow, the authorities and the rest of the Cosa Nostra saw the group as a threat and tried to annihilate them. This was the time when the rest of the First Generation guardians flocked to Giotto and helped him and never left.
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	4. Friend or Foe

The fire crackled loudly along with series of metallic sounds that resonated in the room. The searing heat was unbearable for most, but it didn't deter Caelum nor did it shake him out of his concentration. His shirt was sticking onto him like a second skin, sweat dribbling down his forehead as he hit the hot metal with the hammer as hard as he could in a rhythmical pace.

A blond woman with her hair tied up into a bun walked into the shop with a bouquet of flower, looking around for a certain ginger. It was the loud sound in the back room that notified her that the man was working. She huffed and shook her head, a soft smile on her face as she went to the lone vase of flowers, slowly wilting as its life span was nearing the end. She gently placed the flowers she was holding onto the table and changed the flowers in the vase along with the water.

Just as she finished arranging the fresh flowers, Caelum walked out to the front of the shop with a sigh and grabbed a dry towel that hung on the hook on the wall. He blinked at the presence of the woman and grinned as he wiped his sweat.

"Azura!" He walked to her as he called out. "What brings you here today?"

The woman, Azura, smiled. "Can't I see the person I love?" Caelum flushed at that and chuckled bashfully. "Of course. A second, please." He rushed to the back room again to change into another shirt, after drying the sweat off his body, of course. He sighed in relief, feeling much more comfortable without the soaked shirt clinging onto him.

He smiled at the flowers by the corner of the room and grabbed the woman's hand when she reached out for him. He pulled her close and placed a chaste kiss on her head, smiling even though his cheeks were flushed, either from shyness or the heat that hasn't disperse.

"How's your day?" He asked softly. "It was as usual. You?"

"Same." He chuckled as he let go to pull the chairs for the both of them to sit. "Oh, right," He looked at her in curiosity at that. "I saw a few travellers, though." She hummed. A few, she said, but honestly it was merely two of them. She couldn't exactly remember how they looked like since they were wearing cloaks that covered their faces. She could tell that one of them was a regular traveller to their village.

"Really?" He mused. It wasn't strange that they would have travellers coming to their village, but not around this time of the year. The monsoon wind had changed its direction so most travellers, if they were merchants, would be heading to the east. 'If the travellers are from the capital, however...'

Caelum's eyes darken slightly at the thought, only to snap out of it when Azura squeezed his hands. He gave her a wry smile as they changed the subject.

"How's uncle?"

"Father's recovering well. His back doesn't seem to hurt so much that it would render him immobile." His father had sprained his back a few days ago, so Caelum took over his current projects seeing that Lucien, Colette and Leo were out, visiting Colette's parents in the neighbouring village. While usually his father was the one doing all the smithing and he was the one fixing the mechanisms of whatever was made, he would once in a while took over doing it.

He laughed a little, remembering how his mother had nagged his father into staying put when he wanted to go back to work. "Speaking of which, mother asked if you'd like to join us for dinner tomorrow." She tilted her head. "I can, but mind if I ask what's the occasion?"

Caelum sweated as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Is a reason needed for you to come? It has been a week and mother was being insufferable about not seeing you often." She hummed in contemplation, almost teasingly as she turned to the small box that held trinkets on the table instead. She knew that Caelum wouldn't like it if he had to disappoint his mother. It was rather fun, teasing him like this.

"I'm not sure.."

Caelum deflated, lips pursing. (He looked almost as though he was pouting but Azura knew it wasn't. Maybe. She had never seen him pout before.) He didn't even protest the fact that she might not accept the invitation and just quietly accepted fate. Honestly, she had never met someone like him, who would hardly convince anyone to do anything they don't want after the first rejection from them.

Then again, Caelum could be really persuasive if he wanted to. (The one time she saw him sold the steel sign board frame with a higher price than it actually worth was the time she realized that Caelum was actually a cunning, sly man. She love him nonetheless anyway.)

She giggled, deciding that she had enough of teasing him. "I will come. Tomorrow, right?" He lit up at that and nodded happily. "Yes, tomorrow." He smiled fondly at her. "Merci, ange." Her cheeks tinted slightly at that just as the bell from the church rang. She rose from her chair, brushing her dress. "Well, I should better head back." Caelum nodded, standing up as well. "Uhum." He hummed in agreement. "Who knows what will happen if you leave your shop unattended with a cat running free." He grinned playfully.

She slapped him on his chest none too lightly, but she had a similar grin on her face. Caelum's eyes soften as he tilted her head up and leaned down to kiss her on the lips. "See you tomorrow." He whispered as he backed away slightly. Azura blushed, leaning up to close the distance between them again, placing a small peck on the same lips that just left hers'.

"See you tomorrow." Caelum waved at her until she turned down a corner, heading back to her flower shop. He let his hand dropped as he leaned against the door frame of his father's shop, staring at the flowers in the vase. He was no longer smiling. In fact, his lips were pulled thin as he sighed.

He shook his head slightly and walked to the back of the room to continue his work.

\----------------------------------------------------------

"Alaude! I think we should rest for awhile! We've been riding since sunrise!" The said man scoffed. "We'll rest when we get there." The other man groaned but continued to ride on. He sighed. His back side has already gone numb, having to ride the whole day through without rest. While it wasn't the most gruesome and tiring trip he has, but it was slowly going up the chart by each minute. He wondered why Alaude was so impatient to head to wherever they were going.

(Knuckle was sure that they were actually on a mission to the capital of France, which was in the opposite direction of where they were heading to.)

'Unless...' Knuckle gasped to himself. 'He has a lover somewhere?!' He quickly shook his head, tossing the stupid thought away. 'There's no way..' He glanced at the beige haired man's back. 'But he might?' He knew that Alaude's really famous among the signoritas despite his cold demeanor. Although he denied of having a spouse nor being in a relationship, he had rejected a lot of people. Even the most persuasive woman Knuckle knew couldn't shake the man from his composure.

They had reached a village sooner than Knuckle had expected. Alaude probably knew that they were reaching, which was why he didn't want to stop. Knuckled huffed at that as they slowed down to a stop. His eyes widen in awe as he pulled the rein, the lively crowd of both the villagers and travellers alike in what seemed to be the market street drawn him in easily.

It was so colorful and foreign. It wasn't any much different from Sicily, but it has its own unique aura that Knuckle couldn't put a finger to. That, and it was really different from Ireland. Ireland was gloomy most of the time, so it was really amazing. It honestly took his breath away.

"Wow, this place is amazing to the ultimate!" Knuckle commented as they dismounted their horses. "Where are we?" "My birthplace." Knuckle gaped. Alaude said nothing else but simply pulled his hoodie up, shielding his face. Knuckle was puzzled at his action but followed suit, pulling his horse after Alaude as they joined the crowd. He wanted to ask but honestly, he would rather not because the other seemed to be in a really good mood.

The villagers wasn't fazed upon seeing them passing by, each seller promoting what they sell, be it fruit, meat or random trinkets, anything, all speaking in French. It was a language Knuckle couldn't master no matter how he tried, unlike English, Italian and German.

"Monsieur, today's apple is really sweet and fresh. Would you like one?" An old lady suddenly spoke to Alaude, who paused on his step. He stared at the apple and remembered about a certain ginger. "I'll take a bag." Knuckled raised his eyebrow at the conversation, clearly couldn't understand a single word other than 'apple' and 'one'.

He was enlightened the moment the old lady smiled and gave him a huge bag filled with apples as Alaude handed her the money before continuing their track. Knuckle, out of reflex, caught an apple was thrown back to him without warning. Alaude didn't even look back to know that he had caught it, biting into one as he fed another to the horse.

Knuckled grinned at that. Despite how he claimed that he wouldn't care if any of them died, Knuckle knew that Alaude actually cared and trusted them a lot. Such a dishonest man he was, but none of them would want him any other way. (He's homicidal enough.)

They walked to the edge of the village, to the one lone house that looked like no one had stepped into it for years. Well, it hasn't been, for three years, that is. Even so, Knuckle knew it was Alaude's home, seeing how casual he was with passing through the gates and immediately bring the horse to the saddle.

Alaude wordlessly looked over his house, finding nostalgia as he scanned it over. Untouched, surely. Everything was where it was just as how he had left them. "It's really big, your house."

"It's nothing compare to the mansion." He said, walked to the door and unlocked it. He went in, pulling off his hood and trench coat. It was cold despite the summer air, the house. Perhaps because no life has been here for awhile. He absentmindedly ran a hand against the handle of the dagger stashed on his belt alongside with a gun.

He wondered what kind of reaction would Caelum give him when he visit him later?

He placed the article of clothes on the chair and pulled his weapons off his body, and turned to Knuckle. "Let's spar." Knuckle didn't have the chance to decline when Alaude had already lashed out. "W-woah time out- Alaude!"

\----------------------------------------------------------

As Caelum closed the shop and called it a day, he heard the sound of horns in the Central, where the church was. He groaned aloud as he pulled the hood of his cloak up, pulling the bag strap onto his shoulder. Very reluctantly, he headed to the Central. He muttered a few curses under his breath upon seeing the familiar uniform of the Capital army.

Standing at the edge of the crowd that circled around the leader of the army troop, a man called Fitzgerald, he absentmindedly listened to what the man said, mocking the Capital accent. "-And from now on, every household will be obligated to pay tax-" That particular one made Caelum perked up just as the rest of the villagers roared in protest. Caelum silently fumed even when he didn't voice out anything.

The villagers, including Caelum he himself, never liked the Capital and the Rulers. The only reason they had tolerated the Capital's people whenever they came to their village was because they were granted the freedom of neutrality since the beginning. Their village were a neutral ground and the Capital knew that.

And the Capital were trying to overwrite that.

The sound of screams died out almost immediately when one of the army men aimed his gun to the air and fire twice. Caelum didn't flinch from the sound as he was used to it, having to fire a number of it to make sure the guns were in good condition before selling it off. He twitched, however, because the gun the army man used was not taken good care of.

"Thank you. As I was saying, the government had decided that this village will no longer be a neutral ground but government's land. Each shop owners and leader of every household needs to pay tax every year. Punishment including imprisonment will fall to those who fail to pay according to the rate and on time. Any questions?"

No one was happy with it, but not a single protest was heard. Not when they were at gunpoint by trained army men. Caelum scowled and turned to leave, only to be stopped by one of the army men. "Where are you going?" The man, taller than Caelum but seemly weaker than him gripped his shoulders tightly as he shouted. All eyes turned to Caelum as the ginger groaned internally.

"Home." He said in the most neutral voice he could muster, giving him a deadpanned look. He was shoved back into the crowd as the army men snarled at him about staying until the announcement ends. Caelum stared at the man in silence, stared with his narrowed, metallic blue eyes.

The man was unnerved by his stare and tried to shout orders at the ginger again when Fitzgerald spoke up. "Archard, please." The said man backed up begrudgingly just as Caelum turned just until he could see the leader. Fitzgerald was intrigued by the cloaked man, who doesn't seem to be scared of his troop, nor the gun he was holding.

'He would be incredible useful.' He mused. "Young man, I apologies for my man's rudeness." He gestured to his right hand man, who marched up to Caelum and whispered into his ears. Caelum twitched but nodded nonetheless. He let the right hand guide him away from the crowd just as Fitzgerald continued his announcement.

He was led to one of the shady bar that he would never walk into and waited by one of the tables in the corner. A few moments later, the leader had arrived and sat directly opposite of him. "My apologies for the wait. Please, let's talk over some drinks."

"No need for that. I'm in a rush so please, make it short." Caelum said just as Fitzgerald was about to raise his hand. The leader raised an eyebrow at that but lowered his hand and intertwined his fingers on the table, somewhat smirking. "Direct to the point, good. Well," He surveyed the ginger once more, now that his face was more visible with the cloak slightly pushed back. Though, he wanted to see more.

"Perhaps you could take off your hood first. I find it a tad bit rude." He gladly ignored the displeased look he get. After all, he would be teaching him a lesson about respect personally when he was done. (Though, he would soon realize, in the near future, that he should never even dream about doing so.)

Caelum, with his fingerless-gloved hands, pulled his hood back. He decided to indulge the man a little, just so he could intimidate him more. (He found out ever since he was young, that it worked better without anything covering his face or body. His uncle had also said before that the basic art of intimidating people is to stare at someone long enough with a deadpanned look.)

(He didn't even want to learn deeper into the said art when he sent a neighbouring child running away in tears, when he was nine.)

"Ah much better." The ginger wanted nothing but to wipe that smile off the other man's face. "Thank you. You certainly looked more handsome this way." Caelum crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back, legs crossing the other. "And so?" He asked curtly.

"Oh, right. Back to the main point." The man leaned in after a short chuckle. "I was thinking if you would like to join the army. With your built, you would certainly rise up the ranks really fast. Of course, there will be a very generous amount of appreciation from the Capital for your service-"

Caelum decided that he had had enough and sighed loudly. "I appreciate the offer, but no thank you." The smile on Fitzgerald's face faltered, but didn't drop. "I'm happy with what I'm doing right now."

"Please reconsider. Surely there's something that would appeal you. Name it and it will be yours if you join the army." He shook his head. "No, thank you." With that, he stood up and was about to make his way to the door, when the right hand of the leader blocked his way, the sword half unshed from its scabbard.

The right hand was almost the same height as Caelum, but he seemed to be towering over the ginger. Caelum felt as though the man was similar to a certain beige-haired man, but decided otherwise. Clearly, the right hand was not Alaude. Alaude was so much more.

"Percy, it's alright." The right hand, Percy, stared for a few more moments before backing off. He sheathed the sword and took a few steps back, lowered his gaze from Caelum's eyes. Fitzgerald stood up behind Caelum, but the ginger made no move to turn around and look at the man.

"I'll be around until tomorrow afternoon. Please reconsider it. I'll wait for the good news."

Caelum wordlessly walked away, pulling his hood up again. Percy stared at his back just as the door of the bar swung close.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had no idea what title was suitable for this chapter so it was like, 'ererererererere' at first. Until I somehow felt like I need to emphasize something, which was the last part of this chapter. Guess what it is~
> 
> Weee, Azura! As all you guys know, she's Caelum's lover. She's a florist with a pet calico cat that's hyper as heck most of the time. That's all, I won't spoil anything else ;3
> 
> Ange is Angel in french. (There was one time I had to take the attendant of the participants to this school party, and this underclassman, her name's Angel something something I can't remember. In the list I had though, which was typed by my teacher, it was Angle. I was like- who in the world would name their child Angle of all things. It was honestly hilarious, in my point of view anyway. This just reminded me of that.)
> 
> Time set of this chapter is three years after Alaude left the village. Vongola's still unnamed.
> 
> I just realized that I actually dislike the name Fitzgerald?????
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	5. Glass; Shattered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Gore

Caelum had picked up a bag of apples along the way as he made his way home, biting into one with a scowl. He was absolutely annoyed by the leader of the army troop. That short, bearded man and his irritating stupid accent. While it wasn't the first time he had saw the man, but it was the first time he had personally talked to him, and it was the worst moment of his life. Not to mention that the look on the man was very revolting.

The ginger shuddered, wanted nothing but to bath in holy water or something. (It was surprising for him, seeing that it had been years since he last stepped into the church, neither had he prayed to the god that everyone believed.)

He shook his head and sighed in relief when he arrived. "I'm home." He murmured, closing the door behind him. He took pulled the cloak off with one hand and went straight to the fruit basket on the dining table, placing the apples in it carefully.

"Welcome back, Caelum." His mother, who was knitting in the living room greeted. "So, did you asked Azura?" She asked excitedly as she paused her work. Caelum resisted the urge to roll his eyes and nodded. "Yes, she'll be coming tomorrow." He smiled when she cheered and started wondering what she should cook tomorrow. Honestly, his mother was a tad bit too excited. Azura wouldn't even arrive until the next day.

He couldn't blame her though. After all, she had been the happiest of her life ever since he introduced Azura to her. He was glad that she was happy. Eleanor giggled at their mother's behavior as she came down from upstairs, her stomach bulging over the month.

"She're really excited to have another family member, so it seemed." Caelum agreed, though his smile turned a little strained as he went over to help his pregnant sister. She simply brushed him off, not liking anyone trying to help her. No matter how much she tried to stop them, it didn't really make much different and they would simply kept up the fussing. Goodness, she wasn't even crippled! She was just carrying another life.

Caelum knew how she disliked it and merely stood by the side, making sure that she wouldn't fall.

"Lucien and Colette should have arrived at her parents' house." Their mother mused. "Hopefully their trip was smooth. Leo cries a lot in bumpy rides." The siblings exchanged a look when they realized that their mother was talking more to herself rather than to them. They smiled.

"It'll be alright, mother. Mark's with them after all." (Mark, Eleanor's husband, had tagged along with Lucien and Colette and their four-year-old son. He had wanted to visit his parents as well, so it seemed. Colette and Mark came from the same village after all. It was funny how things work, seeing that Colette and Mark were actually their village's sweethearts. Though, Mark had left for the capital a few years before meeting Eleanor and reuniting with Colette again.

It was hilarious, and a bit awkward for Caelum, for some reason.)

Caelum decided to leave them both with their conversation and went to the back of the house, finding his father staring at sky, brooding. It was quite rare to see him brood.

"Father." He greeted, announcing his presence. The man turned to his youngest son with a small smile. "Ah, you're back. Welcome home. How's your day?"

"Hectic, but it's alright." He replied, deciding to leave out his recruitment to the army. "You?" His father chuckled as he took a seat beside him on the bench they had placed there. "Your mother was been insufferable. My back is fine and she was adamant on making me stay put and rest the whole day. She didn't even let me help her with housework! I felt weird not doing anything at all."

"She's just worried." His father sighed in fake exasperation, smiling. Whenever one of them fell sick or injured themselves, Caelum's mother would always fuss over them. Caelum knew this very well and had experience more than that. She nagged him a lot about  _certain_  things. And him going to the meadows. She always seemed to knew when he went there no matter how hard Caelum tried to hide it. (It certainly doesn't help when he can't exactly lie to her.) Caelum copied his father's sigh as they exchanged similar looks.

They sat in silence for a few more moments before his father spoke up and changed the subject into a different direction.

"So, when are you going to wed Azura, my son?"

Azura, sweet  _sweet_  Azura. He had met her a year after Alaude, his first  _friend_ , had left. She was helping her parents in the flower shop when he decided to buy some flowers for his younger sisters' birthday. She didn't stood out much, almost painfully plain, but she had somehow one way or another caught his attention when she spoke of the flowers as though they were the most interesting thing in the world. (To her, it certainly was.)

He blushed at the sudden question, not expecting it and stuttered incoherently, to which his father laughed in amusement. He huffed and gave his father an annoyed look, ruffling his hair in a rough manner. Seriously, why do people like to tease him? "I am.. Not sure. I don't think I'm ready." It was the truth, but it wasn't the full reason. Deep down in his heart, Caelum wasn't sure if he truly love Azura.

He does, actually. He loved her, but did he really view her as a live long partner? Someone he wanted to protect and take care of, and love for the rest of his life? Was he the right one for her? Was  _she_  the right one for  _him_? All these thoughts had made him hesitate a lot. Even before they got together, it took him a really long time before deciding to court her.

Now that his father asked, he knew that he had taken too long. Her future would depend on his decision. If he were to put his decision aside any longer, he would be wasting Azura's time. What if he were to decide to not marry her in the end? She would have wasted her youth on him. What if he were to decide yes? Would she regret it? Would  _he_ himself regret it?

He doesn't know. He  _doesn't_  want to know. (He cursed his own indecisiveness that he hated so much.)

His father smiled at him, clearly noting the dilemma running through his head. (Sheesh, his youngest son seriously was an overthinker. He wondered where did Caelum get that trait from.) "Don't worry," He said, patting him on the head. "Whatever your decision is, I'm sure everyone will understand. Didn't your uncle said it before? 'Don't be rash while making an important decision or you'll regret it'."

Caelum stared at his father in shock. It has been years since the last time his father mentioned about his late brother, Caelum's uncle. They hadn't have the greatest relationship and they don't really get along well, but Caelum knew that they still cared for each other. That his father cared for his uncle, missed him, even, after all these years.

His eyes soften as he shifted his gaze to the ground. "Yes." He missed his uncle a lot. It has been nine years since his death, who wouldn't? However, he was glad that his uncle was gone. His uncle had been suffering from an incurable cold for almost five years after all. The one that made one cough so hard that they cough blood out.

His uncle, the one who showered him with attention and taught him of the world. His brave and strong uncle, passed away in his sleep with a smile.

He was in peace.

Caelum was thankful of that, even though he was torn with grief. He was thankful that his uncle had passed on in peace. His father patted him on the back a few times as they sat there in silence, staring at the sky as the sun slowly set. "Well, we should go in. It's getting colder." His father said, standing up. Caelum nodded in agreement and followed him back into the house.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thank you for fetching me, Caelum." Azura said as she smiled at the ginger, who was holding a bouquet of flowers she had prepared. "You're welcome. These girls wanted to see you earlier after all." He ruffled Noella's hair as she squealed, holding onto Azura's hand. Naeva giggled on the other side.

"Yep!" Caelum rolled his eyes in a rather fond way. The twins had clung onto him when he left the house to fetch Azura, not wanting to let go despite Caelum's attempt of shaking them off, literally. He gave up soon after realizing that they wouldn't give up and resigned to his fate, letting them cling onto him as he walked to Azura's house.

The twins liked Azura a lot, to the point that they would frequently ask of Azura. (Caelum had wondered before if they liked her more than him.) He chuckled slightly as they talked to her animatedly. He strolled slightly ahead, humming under his breath to himself when he heard a scream and a gunshot. A rather familiar scream.

His eyes widen at that as a chill ran down his spine.

Azura gasped, horrified by the sound as the twins yelped and clung onto her sides. "What happened...?"

"Azura." She turned to Caelum just as the bouquet of flowers were shoved into her hands. "Take care of Noella and Naeva for me." And he took off. "W-wait! Caelum!"

Caelum didn't even acknowledge that and simply bolted down the streets to his house. It was his mother's scream, no doubt. It has been years since he last heard her scream but it was definitely her scream. He could tell.

"Mother!" He shouted in alarm, barging into his house. His breath left him the moment he saw her holding onto his father, who was clutching his side, soaking in red. "C-Caelum.. Leave-" His father coughed, eyes scrunched up in pain. "Run-"

"Now now, please don't run." Caelum stiffen at the voice just as two men grabbed him and locked him in their arms, holding him back as he trashed about, eyes never leaving his father. Fitzgerald blocked him from his view and tilted Caelum's head up, smirking smugly.

"Good evening. I was getting tired of waiting for you."

Caelum snarled and attempted to bite the hand off. The leader of the army simply laughed at his futile attempt. "What do you want?!" He hummed mockingly, as though he was contemplating about something. "Let's see, what I wanted." He tapped his right cheek a few time. "Ah right!"

He gave Caelum a disapproving look. "I wanted your answer, but you didn't even find me. I waited the whole day, you know." He tutted. "I don't really like being taken as a fool, you know."

"I had already gave you an answer, it was a  _no_." Fitzgerald raised an eyebrow, lips tugged down in disappointment. "Pity. If you had accepted it, your father would've lived." Caelum's eyes widen in horror just as he whirled around. "Kill him."

"No-!"

His mother and older sister screamed again when another bullet went through his father's chest. Blood splattered onto their shirt as his father laid limply on the ground, the light in his eyes died. Tears ran down Caelum's cheeks as everything turned silent, even the cries of his mother and sister. He prayed, prayed to the god he had never believed in, for it to be a lie, prayed that his father was still alive.

Alas, his father's time had ended there.

Fitzgerald laughed, oh so gleefully as he turned again to look at Caelum's face. He sported a large grin as he sighed in bliss. "Oh Caelum. You looked just like your brother." He snapped his head up to look at the man. ".. What?"

A gloved finger brushed his cheek, wiping away the tears. "Your brother had the same look when his wife crumpled to the ground like paper." The hand tugged his hair back harshly. "He had the same anger in your eyes, screaming nothing but revenge." His head dipped down when the hand released his hair.

"What did you do to them?!" Eleanor shouted, voice shaken. "Hm? Oh, well, we kindly showed them the way down to hell." She gasped, hands covering her mouth as she slowly slid down onto the ground, knees weak. "No.. Mark.."

"Why?" Caelum croaked. "You wanted me. Why harm them?!"

"You?" Fitzgerald questioned before cackling. "Dear Caelum, do you really think that I killed them because of  _you_?" He shook his head. "Oh no. You're just a bonus, if you had accepted. They're dead because of your dearest brother. He dared to smuggle weapons into the Capital without paying tax. It wasn't the first time he did, oh no. It was a multiple offense."

"How  _dare_  you say smuggle? He had a tax-free pass!"

"It was annoying, you see." Fitzgerald sighed, strutted around the house with his hands brushing over the furniture. "I hated those people who doesn't pay for what they had to. It was an obligation you see. It's my job you see." He smirked. "I hated him." He said in a cold voice as he stabbed an apple on the table with the butter knife. "So, I worked hard to make this village a government land, just so I could take him down  _legally_.

"And then, I can take down the rest of his family as well! Marked all of you as traitors in the Capital!"

"Y- you, you filthy man!" His mother screamed, still clutching onto her husband. "You'll die a dog's death and you'll face God's retribution! You will go to hell!"

Fitzgerald's face scrunched up in distaste. "Kill her."

Caelum's blood ran cold as he screamed at the leader, plead him not to kill her but it had fell to deaf ears. The third gunshot echoed in the air, leaving loud rings in the ginger's ears as he watched his mother crumpled onto the ground, blood flooding the floor with his father's blood.

"No no no no-" His sister chanted hysterically as she crawled over to her parents. "No, please.. Please don't leave-" Her voice drowned out incoherently. Fitzgerald tsked and took a step back when the pool of blood flowed towards him, disgusted.

One would thought that he was satisfied seeing both Caelum and Eleanor broken, but no, he wasn't. He grinned maniacally as he stepped over the pool of blood and grabbed Eleanor's hair, pulling her up just to see her tear-stricken face.

"Now, what should we do with you? Oh I know!" Caelum struggled harder, but the two men who held onto him were stronger than he was. "Let me go! Don't you dare touch her!" He was ignored as the madman of a leader gleefully announced loudly. "Let's help you give birth!"

"Don't you bloody touch her you bastard!" He trashed around, biting and scratching the arms that held him down. "Let me go!!" He screamed. Fitzgerald winced at his voice and ordered the two men to beat Caelum up, but leave him conscious. Caelum didn't even have the time to brace himself when a fist hit the side of his head.

Pain blossomed as black dots scattered across his vision. Suddenly, those arms were no longer holding him up and he fell onto the ground. He hacked when a leg stomped on his back, the heel digging down his spine. He felt his ribs had cracked, but even so, he managed to croaked out.

"S-top."

His vision cleared just to see fist going down on his sister's head, cracking the skull. He suddenly couldn't do anything anymore. He was frozen on the ground, and all he could do was look as one of the army men handed a knife to his leader.

'No.'

The sharp knife dug into Eleanor's stomach.

' _No_.'

The sound of skin ripping filled the air just as blood flowed from the open wound when the knife was dragged across.

' _ **No-**_ '

Caelum could see his sister's inside, the intestine, the bones, the  _dead infant-_

He jerked as the bile in his stomach forced its way up his throat and he vomited, coughing harshly at the stinging pain. He was barely even aware that the leg on his back was gone as the two men stepped away from him in disgust. He couldn't care less as he retched, not even when the disgusting smell of his vomit made him want to puke again.

He couldn't watch. He couldn't see it.  _He_   _didn't want to see it_.

A cry wrecked his whole body as he heaved, hands clenched into fists as he let out a silent whine that the fact that he couldn't even save his parents, let alone his  _sister and her child_. He was so useless, so  _damn useless_! 'Why? Why them!?' He should be the one who had died, he should've accepted the offer, just so they could live on, he should-

Fitzgerald flicked the blood off his gloves, disposing the knife onto the ground as he looked at the dead infant that had tumbled out of the stomach with a few parts of the intestine in distaste. His first thought was disgusting. He had always wondered how would an infant look like before it was born, but now that he knew, he hated it. The infant looked deformed.

He took his eyes away from the corpse and turned to the ginger on the ground. He tutted pitifully, stepping over the blood and crouched in front of him. "You know, if you've accepted my offer, they might have a chance to live.  _You_  might have a chance to live.  _ **It's all your fault that they die**_." 

He sighed. "Oh well, it's too late now." He pointed his gun at the head that tilted down. " _Au revoir._ "

The last gunshot resonated.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Au revoir is goodbye in French.
> 
> I feel like I didn't fully invest what I wanted to convey/ Caelum's agony in the last part...? But I wanted to keep it simple and direct as well just so I don't drown out what had happened. Egh.
> 
> I actually made myself sick when I imagined the part with Eleanor. It was.. Much vivid in my mind than here. *pales*
> 
> Fun Fact= People in Colette and Mark's village thought that Colette and Mark would ended up together. Nope, that didn't happen.
> 
> Fact= Lucien, Colette, Mark and Leo were ambushed while they were on the way to Colette and Mark's village, near a cliff. They were actually killed before their whole carriage along with their bodies were pushed down the cliff just to make it an accident.
> 
> Fun Fact= Someone didn't show up. It wasn't Alaude nor Knuckle that I'm referring to.
> 
> I noticed that mentioned 'Apple' in almost every chapter until this one.
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	6. The First Flame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Gore

_His heart had stuttered, wanting to stop pumping. He no longer had the resolve to live, feeling the will to breathe shattering into tiny pieces. His whole body felt cold, stiff, and **painful**. He wanted everything to  **stop**._

_'If only I was stronger...' was the only thing that circled his mind other than subconsciously knowing that he wished for death. Even when he know it was a useless thought, for there was nothing that could ever bring his family back ever again, all but shattered in just one night, he still thought of it. He couldn't stop thinking about it nor could he stop resenting the Capital Army, resenting fate, resenting himself._

_( **Just stop already.** )_

_"Do you wish for power?" Caelum stiffen, feeling as though time had suddenly stopped. In fact, it somehow did. The men in his house ( **no longer the safe haven he owns** ) froze, the blood that stained the carpet seemed to stopped increasing._

_Everything was silent._

_He lifted his head just barely so he could see the two cloaked being floating, one in grey and another in pale blue and white. "Do you wish for the ability to judge someone's worth in living?" The white one said, closely followed by the one in grey, voice echoing. "Do you wish for the power to bring one to afterlife and decide their path?"_

_A part of Caelum wanted to die, to cease from existence, but another part of him screamed, screamed inside him to take revenge. It screamed at him to say **yes and kill-**_

_"Why me?" He asked instead, for he knew that these beings weren't human. He didn't felt the urge to freak out, however. He didn't know why, and he just had to ask. "Why me, of all people?"_

_"It is merely Fate's decision, it designed this path for you, for you to see and for you to balance the world. It is Fate's decision for you to be the Historian of the world." As though knowing what Caelum was thinking, the white one continued. "A Historian is a spectator, a judge and the one who records the world's event. A Historian is the outsider who watches over the three pillar of the world as it sways and regains balance. What you see shall be recorded, but what you shall experience may scar you."_

_"Selfless one, do you have the resolve to live?"_

_"Do you have the resolve to shoulder the burden of being a Historian in exchange for the powers we'd bestow you?"_

_Distantly, Caelum could hear the ghost sound of rattling chains, temperature dropping slightly. He had the answer right at the tip of his tongue, but the will to answer was barely there. Is it truly worth living for the sake of revenge, however? Is it truly worth living, for he should die just as how his family had?_

_Do he deserve the reason to continue living?_

_He swallowed. This was his punishment, for his sin. His punishment to repay his debts to his love ones. (Although, he knew that he wouldn't be able to repay even a single one.) He will take his punishment. He deserved it. He deserved to suffer for what he had put his family through._

_(The first flame was lit inside him, unknown to the ginger yet as clear as daylight for the other two. The flame that would soon grow bigger until it made itself known to the world.)_

_"I do."_

_With that, the white one shifted closer to Caelum, hovering its hand over his forehead. "I, God of Judgement, gift you the ability to judge and to bring one to their downfall or to give a second chance. I gift you the ability to deliver punishments as you please." Judgement's hand glowed. Judgement moved back as the grey one took its place, hovering its hand over Caelum's forehead as well._

_"I, Death God, bless you with the ability to bring the once living to afterlife and the ability to decide the souls' path. To drift in nothingness forever, or to reincarnate, all is in your hands." Its hand glowed as well before it moved back. Death and Judgement loomed over for a moment before disappearing with parting words that would forever haunt Caelum._

_" **Do what you must, and what you wish, O' Selfless one. For the World and for yourself.**_ _"_

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Fitzgerald's eyes widen as he stumbled one step back. His hand involuntarily shook, staring at the ginger in disbelief.

Or rather, he was staring at the floating bullet in disbelief. Faint, orange-tinted waves rippled in the air in front of the ginger, almost invisible. A shiver ran down his spine when the man who knelt in front of him seemed to change. His  _aura_ , specifically. It wasn't just Fitzgerald who had felt the change, nor was it his imagination. Even his men had felt the shift. It was dull and insignificant just a few moments ago, so how did it suddenly changed into a deadly one? It was suffocating. It was  _petrifying_.

His men yelped in surprise when the floating bullet exploded into dust, took their weapons out and pointed at the man on the floor just as they took a few steps back. They were panicking. They could tell that something was wrong, very wrong.

The man who had stepped on Caelum's back before suddenly choked and coughed out blood. He dropped his gun out of shock as he clutched onto his bulging throat. Fitzgerald could only stare in stunned horror as blood dripped out of the man's mouth, overflowing. The army man's eyes were bloodshot red as tears sprang out of it, clearly in pain. Only, it wasn't tears. It was blood.

His ears were bleeding as well as he gasped, drowning in blood. He was whimpering, or as much as he could with damaged vocal cords. His eyes met Fitzgerald's, just as his limbs started bulging, tearing through his clothes, lumps of flesh in imperfect size and shapes. His eyes were screaming in fright with only one message.

'Help!'

The man exploded. Blood and flesh splattered across the room, hitting almost every corner. Fitzgerald couldn't even turn away from that, frozen in place.

The rest of his men screamed of the devils and what-nots. Their fates were no better as they tried to escape, only to be dead the next second they took a step towards the door. Needles, sharp needles protruded from the ground and stabbed all of them. Blood spilled out of their wound as one of the men's inside somehow managed to slip out and splattered on the ground.

Fitzgerald couldn't do anything but stare at the carnage that happened in the span of a few minutes.

Caelum, who hadn't even move from his spot, shuffled. He pushed himself up, stumbling as he steadied himself. He looked up and Fitzgerald's legs trembled. Fitzgerald tried to put more distance between the two of them and ended up falling onto his back, shaking hard. He couldn't turn away from the ginger's eyes, couldn't tear his eyes of it.

Those dull blue orbs that lacked of light and rationality, staring down at him blankly. It was as though they could see through him and look at his soul.

"W-wait-" He crawled back, stuttering terribly. "P-please, wait-!" A needle protruded out of the ground and stabbed through his knee, the sharp tip poking out of the flesh. He screamed as pain tore through him. He clutched his right leg, writhing pitifully.

Caelum tilted his head in silence, watching with what seemed like curiosity. He waited until the man stopped screaming and took a step forward, crouching. His movement had set the other off as Fitzgerald whimpered, trashing as he tried to drag himself away from the ginger. It was a futile attempt with the needle holding him in place.

"N-no, please. Please don't kill me-"

His mouth clamped shut when the dull, metallic blue orbs darken. " **Punishment;** " His voice rang out just as his stood. The air stilled, Fitzgerald stopped breathing all together as his eyes widen. " **Endless Suffering,** " He spasmed as he choked, mouth wide open in silent scream, writhing and contorting and jerking. All his muscle contracted and tensed all at once. " **And Endless Hell.** "

Fitzgerald exploded into nothing.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Realization slowly dawned Caelum as he stared into distance and the first thing he noticed was the strong stench of iron in the air and the dark red liquid that soaked his being. Light returned to his eyes as his hands that had curled up into tight fist loosen, registering what was in front of him. He looked around the massacre. He started trembling, paling further by each second.

"N-no."

He turned around, lifting his hands and clutched his hair as he tried to get a grip on himself. It was not a second later he peeled his hands off and stared at it in horror. His hands that were stained in blood.

"N-no no  _no_ \- This can't be-"

"Caelum?" A familiar voice called out, faint, as he whipped his head over to the door. He stopped breathing all together as he stared at how pale and ill the blond woman looked. She covered her mouth, shaking slightly as she took a step back to stabilize herself. Noella and Naeva clutched onto her as they hid behind her, afraid and sobbing in fear.

He ran away through the back door and never looked back.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Alaude was strolling around the village, scanning every corner and every building of the maze-like village. He felt nostalgic as nothing had changed much in the span of three years. It was as though time had stopped for these buildings. He couldn't say the same for the villagers, however. The familiar faces- as familiar as they could be- he had seen had changed so much. Not just physically but mentally as well. Who knew what had happened to them.

Which reminded him, how was Caelum? Had he grown taller and stronger? Had his voice and gaze change? Had he changed into someone else, or was he still the man Alaude knew?

Alaude shared a little private smile to himself for a second before shaking his head. 'No matter.' He would know once he finally sees the ginger.

As he continued his walk, weaving down the narrow streets that he knew by heart, he sensed another presence, noticed another silent footsteps that almost matched his. He didn't glance back, simply acted like he didn't realize his stalker. It wasn't Knuckle, no. Certainly not when said priest was unconscious in his house, Alaude's courtesy of course. (The man had passed out hours after the sun raised as they had sparred for almost the whole night.) Not to mention that Knuckle's presence was different from the one that was following him.

Not a threat either. Alaude was intrigued. For someone who's clearly a trained killer, a skilled one at that, to not have any ill intention towards Alaude was uncommon. (Not rare, but uncommon.)

He turned down one corner, well aware of the following footsteps, and whirled around, his familiar cuffs in hand and snapped one end on the wrist of his stalker. He didn't stop, using the momentum of his movement to pull the stalker, a man, in and push the man onto the wall. Shadow fell upon them as he shoved the man up the wall, eliciting a sharp intake of air. Alaude pulled at the other end of his cuff and locked the man's free hand onto his back before he could reach for the sword on his waist.

"Who are you?"

Alaude asked, face void of emotion. He absentmindedly made a mental list of ways he could maim the man if he was a threat after he interrogate him. He raised an eyebrow as he took in the uniform the man was wearing. "Capital Army." He said, suddenly felt bored. He didn't like dealing with the Capital. Their politics were complicated and more often than not involved none-morale activities despite what they had claimed.

Alaude found them very distasteful with they nose stuck up high and words as empty as their brains. Honestly, if Alaude wanted, he could actually wipe them out himself. They were all but useless vermin after all.

"What do you want?"

The man stayed quiet for a moment too long for Alaude's thinning patience. (He was lucky that Alaude was in a good mood or he wouldn't even have a chance to say another word the moment he started following Alaude.) " _Signore_  Giotto," The man said. "I'm one of his men stationed in the Capital."

Alaude arched eyebrow raised even further. It wasn't a secret among the seven of them that Giotto had people in a few selected places, for who knows what. Heck even the man himself didn't even know why he had done all that most of the time. Though, Alaude knew for one that the blonde was wary of the Capital for some reason.

A potential threat, perhaps?

"Your proof?"

"The inner pocket of my jacket." Alaude reached over to the said pocket, but not before tightening the his grasp on the wrists with his left hand. A clear warning should the man do retaliate, he would be dead on the ground. He touched a solid object and pulled it out.

A marble.

Alaude rolled it on his palm a little when he felt it. Giotto's flames. It was faint, but there. Alaude had to say, Giotto had impromptu ways to show who were his people. Trinkets with his flames infused in them were one.

He hummed, confirming the fact that the man wasn't lying to him. He stepped back, unlocking the cuffs and let the man go. The man rubbed his wrist as he turned around to face Alaude, wordlessly taking the marble back. When Alaude crossed his arms across his chest and gave him a pointed look, he decided to cut the chase. " _Signore_ Alaude, I'm Percy. I was stationed in Fitzgerald's army to monitor his movements."

Alaude stayed silent as he continued. "Just two days ago, before arriving here, he had-"

A gunshot rang out in the silent air. The beige-haired man turned to the direction of the sound.

Percy's eyes narrowed, eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. He cursed underneath his breath and managed to gather Alaude's attention. He straighten and with all seriousness, told Alaude about what Fitzgerald did. With haste, he jumped right to the point after a brief explanation. Alaude wasted not a single second before running off, closely followed by Percy.

" _Signore_  Caelum is in grave danger."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Alaude slowed down just a little and jumped up the porch of Caelum's house. He immediately picked up the stench of blood as he frowned at the blonde woman who wrapped her arms protectively around two young girls, all sobbing. (Oh, he recognize those girls. He knew them so well.) The woman tensed and looked at him warily even though she was crying.

"Who-" She croaked out just when her voice caught in her throat when Alaude stepped forward and looked into the house. "Where is he?" He asked in such a deadly and urgent way that Azura couldn't help but jerk in fear. The girls in her arms, however, perked up at that and looked up.

"Alaude!" They all but launched at the beige-haired man, crying harder than before. Azura stiffen when he crouched slightly to embrace them. Her eyes were wide as she recognized the name. The cursed man of the village. The same man who killed his last living relative without a single remorse.

The same man that Caelum spoke of with such a fond look on his face.

"Noella, Naeva. Where's your brother?" Alaude asked again. The twins made a desperate sound and shook their heads, burying their faces into Alaude's abdomen.

"He ran away through the back door." Azura said. Alaude snapped his head to her and stared into her eyes for a full minute. He nodded at her in what she deemed as gratitude as he gently pried the twins off him. The moment he succeeded, Percy arrived, panting lightly. Alaude turned to him and gave a curt order before he ran off.

"Take care of them."

Percy saluted, a forced habit, perhaps, but it was unnoticed to the beige-haired man anyway. The twins immediately latched onto Azura again as she glared at Percy. The man knew why she was wary and hostile, so he raised his hands up to show that he meant no harm.

"Please, let us move to another place." He glanced at the massacre in the house. "This isn't a place we should stay any longer."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Alaude ran to the meadows. It was the only place Alaude could think of. The meadows was a place of peace for the other, a place where Caelum would head to whenever he needed to hide from the world. 

However, it was no easy feat for Alaude to find Caelum. The meadows was huge, and so was the woods connecting to it. There was no telling where exactly Caelum went to, for the ginger had more than one hiding spot just in the meadows alone. (Caelum had this uncanny sense of finding hiding spots that no one would ever think of, which baffled Alaude more than once during their multiple ventures into the woods.) Alaude could only rely on his senses to find the ginger.

He clicked his tongue and ran into the woods when he felt something familiar.

Flames, he realized. There was a flame active person other than Alaude and Knuckle in the village. He narrowed his eyes. It was similar to Giotto's, but different. So much different from the blonde's flame. It wasn't Alaude's main priority at that moment, but it was distracting as hell. He would have to look into it after he finds Caelum and makes sure that he was alright.

As he ran deeper into the woods, he felt the flames getting more saturated. He had to cover his mouth and nose with his hand, his own flames lit a little just so he wouldn't be overwhelmed by the flames in the air. It was thick and suffocating, heavy in the air as though a barrier to keep anyone out. It was protecting something, or  _someone_.

Icy blue orbs widen by a fraction. 'Impossible.' And then he slowed to a stop, blinking away the fog in his eyes as he stared into the spot where the flames was the thickest. There sat the man he was looking for, all curled up underneath a huge tree and soaked in blood from head to toe in the midst of the flames.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to title this as 'The Worst Reunion' but then I just- Nope no nope nope.
> 
> I don't know how to make the first part not as cringe-y, but what the hell, this is fanfiction. It's meant to be cringe-y. (Not exactly.)
> 
> I'm sure all of you know what the flame was. The first one anyway. :3 
> 
> Fun Fact= Fitzgerald and his men are dead, yes, but they're in.. Hell? Well okay then they're in Hell and Suffering. Fitzgerald just got an eternal life sentence of Hell and Suffering. Like Pain and Death and Blood and- you get what I meant. Caelum had subconsciously knew what he should do and gave them the heaviest punishment of all. (No thanks to you, Death and Judgement.)
> 
> Fun Fact= Azura's parents knew of Alaude's aunt and her bad temper. Almost everytime Alaude's aunt went to their shop for flowers, she'd curse Alaude and say bad things about him. They didn't really believe her, of course, but when Alaude's aunt was dead, they didn't know what to believe anymore. That is, until Caelum happened. (He practically changed their thought about Alaude with how excited he was whenever he spoke of the man.)
> 
> Fun Fact= Alaude, that fighting-maniac, he literally sparred with Knuckle all night long until dawn. Poor Knuckle, having to pass out because of exhaustion, and a damn fist hitting him right in the face. (Alaude left him on the couch and went to sleep until sun down and went out. Knuckle was still unconscious even when he left.)
> 
> Percy!! Yes, he's one of Giotto's. He was recruited when Giotto visited the Capital to research about something with Asari. At that time, he was a bartender. Giotto, one way or another, managed to attract him in. After a long interaction with Giotto, Percy agreed to his plan on being a spy and climbed his way up to the Right-Hand of one of the military generals. 
> 
> Percy was that attracted (read; infatuated) with Giotto because he decided to follow Giotto to the end of the world. OR SOMETHING ALONG THE LINE
> 
> So did anyone realize that Caelum lit his flames through guilt and the need to Suffer? No? Okay.
> 
> I hadn't actually wanted to update this early, but this chapter was getting to me a bit too much so I couldn't help it. Well, good for all of us..? 
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	7. Underwater

In the midst of the thick flames, Alaude could only stare. He could only stare at the ginger as Caelum slowly fell insane, just barely tipping over the edge. The unfocused, metallic blue eyes were wide as Caelum clutched onto his shoulders tightly, no doubt piercing through the skin with his nails.

Alaude didn't know what to do for once. He didn't know what he could do to calm Caelum down without agitating him. Not with the flames-  _Caelum's flames_ \- circling the man protectively and ready to lash out. If it was suffocating before he spotted Caelum, it was deadly. It was out of control,  _just like Caelum's mind_.

He breathed in and slowly crouched, stopping when he felt the air stilled and continuing when it returned normal until he was kneeling on the ground,  _seiza_  style like how Asari always did more than once in their presence. He did not let his guard down, for that was the last thing he should do. Instead, he used his flames.

He let his control on his flames go, letting it fill the air around him alongside with Caelum's. He used his flames to let the ginger know, to let Caelum's flames know, that he wasn't going to be an easy kill no matter how pure Caelum's flames was. (It wasn't as pure as Giotto's, nowhere near Alaude's as well, but it was still pure even with the slightly darker tint amongst it. Alaude doubt it was because of his mentality, but something else.)

Caelum's flames calmed, stopped trying to actively kill whatever is in its vicinity. It was then did Caelum blinked and slowly looked up. His body was still tensed, but no longer shaking. He was still hugging himself in the way of trying to restrain himself, but he wasn't trying to tear through his own arms with his nails as well. He looked towards Alaude, and dilated pupils stared right into Alaude's icy blue eyes.

Alaude didn't look away. He never did anyway. "Caelum." He said softly, but firmly. "It's all over." He let his words sink as he continued watching Caelum's reaction. He didn't say that it was alright, or it's fine, because it wasn't. It wasn't alright, and Caelum himself knew it all along even when he was denying it.

"It ended."

Caelum's eyes glisten, pupils no longer dilated as his face scrunched up. Tears dropped from the corner of his eyes as a sob wreck his whole being. He cried, eyes screwed shut, tears never ending. He cried ever so silently, but his pain wasn't unheard by Alaude, for the man himself, when Caelum started crying, started mourning for the lost of Caelum's family. Alaude mourned, but he did not cry.

He sat there and mourned for the lost of those whom held a precious spot in his heart.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Alaude didn't know how long it was since Caelum started crying, his flames calmed fully and dispersed, having to lose track of time. He himself was lost in his own thoughts when Caelum finally stopped crying. He snapped out of it and looked at Caelum, whose eyelids were half close and dropping lower. His body was leaning to one side, tilting as he slumped down to the ground, no longer have the energy to hold himself up.

Just before his head hit the ground, Alaude managed to hold him up and cradled him to his chest. Alaude brushed his bangs away from his face, rubbing the dried tears from the cheeks as Caelum slept. The ginger had fallen asleep out of sheer exhaustion from what had happened and crying.

While Alaude was glad that Caelum was finally resting, he wasn't glad to know that it wouldn't be a fitful rest. Even so, Alaude genuinely hoped that Caelum's nightmare would be kind to him. (Caelum was but a human, a normal man whom had never taken any lives until that day. He wasn't used to the thrill of fighting, nor the feeling of fresh blood on his hands like Alaude was. He would definitely be traumatized, not just by what he had experience, but by the ghost of his nightmare that would continuously haunt him even as he wakes.)

Making sure that the ginger wouldn't fall from his lap, Alaude took off his coat and draped it over Caelum's body, covering him and gathered him up into his arms. He glanced at him once more before began walking out of the woods and headed to his house.

The sun had long went down, retiring for the day. So did all the villagers, all had returned to their houses and closed all doors. It wasn't uncommon to see them hiding in their houses whenever something happened. It was a rather small village, so surely all of them must had heard what had happened.

Alaude was more than pleased to find the street empty.

Just as he reached his house and was about to kick his door open because of the lack of free hands, it swung open itself. Or rather, Knuckle was the one who opened the door.

The priest stopped short in mid-yawn and stared stone-shock at Alaude. To be exact, the unconscious man in Alaude's arms. He immediately picked up the smell of blood and ushered Alaude in, closing the door shut behind him after glancing around warily. "What happened?" He asked just as the other walked upstairs to his room.

Knuckle followed closely behind when Alaude stayed silent. Although he was used to Alaude's behavior, he wasn't particularly pleased when he ignored him. Especially when someone's life could be on the line. "Oi Alaude-" The rest of the sentence seized in his throat when Alaude turned around sharply to give him a hard look.

They stood at the stairs, staring at each other for one full minute before Alaude broke it and continued his steps. Knuckle huffed in frustration and frowned, ruffling his hair roughly. He hurried after him just as the other went into his room and placed Caelum on the bed, totally disregarding the blood. He said nothing, but his body language had given all of it away.

He was  _dying_  to know what was wrong, but he would wait. He waited as Alaude peeled the stained articles off, watching by the door frame. (Pigs probably flew because Alaude, of all people, shouldn't be that  _gentle_. He was literally soft in touches towards the unconscious one.) He frowned at how the pale skin was painted in blood, but relieved when he saw no external wounds just as Alaude left to the bathroom.

He couldn't tell if there was internal injuries on the man, however.

He heard the water running in the bathroom as he took a step towards the bed slowly. He was aware that Alaude knew what he was doing, so he paid close attention to the sounds. When there was no reaction, or anything abnormal, he took it as a permission and approached the bed.

He frowned at the how pale the man looked. Although Caelum's breathing was even, Knuckle wanted to make sure that he wasn't having a fever, so he reached over and placed a hand over the forehead. However, before his hand even properly made contact with the skin, he felt something lashed out. His eyes widen as he immediately retracted his hand, as though he had made contact with fire.

"Move." He jumped and almost bumped into Alaude when the man came up behind him. "A-ah, sorry." Alaude set a pail filled with water aside and soaked a towel in it, pulling a stool over to the bed. Before he did anything, he turned towards Knuckle. The priest, immediately recognizing the message behind the gaze, raised both his hands up and retreated from the room, closing the door behind him.

He made his way down slowly, mind elsewhere. He stopped at the very last step and stared at his hand. The hand that barely touched Caelum. His eyebrows furrowed.

(Alaude stared at the door for a long moment before turning back to Caelum, twisting the cloth to squeeze out the excess water. He grabbed Caelum's arm and started cleaning the blood and dirt off the skin. When he was done cleaning Caelum up, he dressed him in one of his clothes, a bit large on him but it fitted. Better than nothing after all.

He sighed as he brushed aside a stray hair from Caelum's face, tucking the man in. He hoped that Caelum would be able to rest fitfully, but he knew his hope was a naught.)

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Knuckle was cooking something simple for himself and Alaude, lost in his train of thoughts when Alaude came down to the kitchen, looking drained for once. He stayed silent as the other went to make some hot drink for the both of them, for he knew that they would have a long talk about this.

The moment they sat down on the dining table, opposite of each other, a tensed atmosphere filled in the air. Neither of them touched the food nor the drinks, simply staring at it as though it would move the moment they took their eyes off it. It was so silent that one could almost hear a pin drop in a distance. Surprisingly, it was Alaude who broke it first.

Alaude sighed as he picked up his mug, leaning against the back rest of his chair as he took a sip. "What do you want to know?"

Knuckle wanted to ask a myriad of questions, but he started off easy first. "Who is he?" Alaude looked away for a moment, as though contemplating on that question even when he had the answer on the tip of his tongue. "Caelum's a friend."

That word sounded so foreign in his mouth that he outright twitched at that.

Knuckle's eyes widen. It was unbelievable to hear the prideful man admit something like that. He knew that Alaude took him and the others as family and friends, of course, but he had never heard him claiming that. Nor did he claim that he cared about all of them but it was as clear as daylight. For Alaude to actually say that, Knuckle knew that the man, Caelum, was someone important to Alaude.

(Perhaps, it was because Caelum respected and accept Alaude more than anyone else did.)

"He's an  _active user,_  Alaude." "I  _know_."

"He would suffer if you were to-"

Alaude glared at Knuckle, stopping him from continuing his sentence for he already knew what the man wanted to say. He himself knew as well, the risk of getting too close to an Flame active user spiritually. A risk that none of them wanted to take, for there was no telling what would happen. (It was still a work in progress after all, theories and facts about Flames.)

Knuckle frowned at that, but instead, he changed the subject. "What happened exactly?" He was replied with a withering look as Alaude lowered his mug, sighing again.

"A planned execution by the Capital is all I could think of." He glanced off, making a mental note to interrogate Percy. He was aware that the man was probably busy tending to the blond woman and the twins, and although he was desperate for answers, they needed it more than him.

However, he didn't need an answer to know that Caelum probably activated his flames when his family was murdered right in front of him. What was left of the Capital men in the house was probably Caelum's doing as well. He wasn't foreign to lost of self control in desperate times, for he himself had went through that, so it was easy to guess what had happened. If he were to put himself in Caelum's shoes, he would do the same thing as the ginger did.

Knuckle watched as Alaude lost himself in his own thoughts again. He said nothing of it, didn't interrupt the man even though he had other questions. It was heavy topic. It was hard enough just not knowing anything. If the ginger was really a friend to Alaude, then he could only imagine how hard it was for Alaude.

He shook his head and picked up the cutlery and started eating slowly. No matter, everything would be clear once things were sorted. Granted, it would be a hard time through the whole process, but it is a must. (After all, nothing stays a secret forever.)

\----------------------------------------------------------------

_"Cael, could you make me a cup of coffee?"_  Caelum blinked, once and twice, eyes clearing. He looked at his father who was smiling at him as he carried a box of old, rusted metal.  _"Ah, okay."_  He heard himself reply and walked to the kitchen, as though nothing was wrong, but there was something wrong. It was realistic, but  _it felt wrong._

_Everything felt so wrong_.

_"Caelum."_  He jerked at that, eyes widening as the empty cup he was holding was filled with dark red liquid, overflowing.  _"Caelum."_ He slowly turned around and jumped back, hitting the counter. He lost his grip on the cup and it fell onto the ground, shattering into million of pieces. His heart thumped loudly and painfully against his chest as he grew pale.

_"Why?"_  He gripped the counter tightly, tensing as red hands waved around, trying to grab him. His family, all crawled to him, eyes gone leaving empty sockets with blood flowing out. Their body were crippled, limbs twisted in angles that it shouldn't be.  _"Why did you abandon us?"_

"N-no, I didn't-"

_"Why did you watch us die?"_  One of the hands-  _his mother's_ \- grabbed onto him by the leg, clutching tightly as her sharp nails dug into his flesh. He couldn't shake her off, he couldn't shake any of them off as they latched onto him. He was frozen, stiff and rigid as all of them murmured 'why's. He clutched his hair, breath erratic. "Shut up-"

" _Why?!"_

" _ **Shut up!!**_ " He screamed, trying to drown out the moans and groans as everything morphed into a massacre, floor flooded with blood and corpses. He shut his eyes tightly, tearing up. Suddenly, it was all quiet. He breathed heavily as he slowly opened his eyes. They were gone, as if they were never there. All the blood had disappeared as well. Everything was plain white, with him standing in the midst of it.

He hesitantly looked around, searching when a pair of familiar voices called out.

_"Cael."_  He stiffen.  _"Why?"_  He slowly turned around, and choked at the sight of his younger sisters who both looked at him in sadness and disappointment. Their white dresses shifted around as though it was rustled by the wind, even though there was no wind. Slowly, the white dresses turned red from the bottom to the top.

_"Why did you abandon us?"_

He was suddenly aware of how close they were and tried to back away, only to fall down for his leg no longer had the energy to hold him up. "N-no..." They crouched in front of him, hands supporting their chin as they tilted, looking at him in the eyes.  _"You killed us." "You killed them."_

Hands shot up from the ground, raw and rotting, grabbing his body and  _pulled_. "S-stop."

Their eyes, the eyes Caelum loved, disappeared and left empty black sockets behind.  _"Monster." "Murderer."_

He couldn't breathe.  _He_   _couldn't breathe_.

" _ **NO!**_ "

He shot up, eyes wide and frantic. His ears rang so loudly that it hurt his head. He could still hear their voices, all of their voices.  _So clear and so loud_. He tried to breathe, once, twice, but failed. His lungs hurt, dizzy. He wanted to breathe, but he  _couldn't_. He clutched onto his chest, pounding as tears sprang out of his eyes. He punched his own chest, trying to get it working as he heaved.

" _ **Caelum!**_ " He barely even registered that when two pairs of hands grabbed him, pulling his own hands away even though he still couldn't breathe. ( _He was drowning_.) He struggled, wheezing hard, but he was weaker than them. A flash of image of two men, holding him down as he watched his father and mother died with his own two eyes.

He jerked upward once and he lurched. He tilted sideways and vomited, the smell of bile hitting his nose. He coughed as a hand patted his back.  _Finally_ , he could breathe. He greedily sucked in the much needed air through his mouth as his nose were clogged. Granted, his ribs actually hurt with his action but he couldn't care less.

It took a while, for his blurred sight to clear and his ears to stop ringing, but it did. During the whole time, Caelum was held by someone. He couldn't exactly register who it was, but they were someone familiar, and he couldn't even hold himself upright as he trembled it their arms.

He was tired, so tired, but he didn't want to fall asleep. He didn't want to close his eyes, for he fear that he would see them again. He tried to stay awake, but it was difficult when a warm hand ran their fingers into his hair, patting him as the arm held him protectively. ( _He felt safe_.)

He could hear their heartbeat as he was crushed to their chest.

_Ba-dump. Ba-dump_ _**.** _

The sign of life.

_Ba-dump. Ba-dump_.

His breathing slowed as his eyes slipped close, holding onto the shirt tightly.

Alaude couldn't help but sigh in relief when Caelum calmed down as he stroked the mop of ginger gently, watching closely as Caelum fell into peaceful slumber. He didn't let go of Caelum, even when Knuckle came back with a wet cloth from the bathroom and wiped the cold sweat and saliva off of the other's face. He knew the last thing he should do was letting go of him when what Caelum needed the most was grounding.

It was somehow expected, that Caelum would have nightmares. It was expected as well that Caelum would be traumatized by what he had gone through.

It was expected, but Alaude hated it.

He heard a small whimper, scared and vulnerable, as Caelum burrowed himself against Alaude even more. He held him just a little tighter, a little closer as he patted the ginger on the back.

( _The flames curled around him before retracting, shifting and brushing but never touching. His own flames didn't reach out to it either, even if there was a small urge to do so._ )

"He'll be alright, Alaude." Knuckled said.

Alaude stayed silent.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it took so long! I was busy since last week until yesterday and I'm damn tired. Both physically and mentally. I literally breezed through the whole chapter and checked only the spellings. This is going to bite me in the ass afterwards, isn't it?
> 
> Seiza style is a traditional and formal way of sitting in Japan, which is, sitting on their knees. I think you all know what it meant.  
> 
> Fact= There's only a handful of people who are flame actives, and it was rare during the First Generation's era. What it does and what effect will it bring is not confirmed. I won't say much about it since it will be explained slowly in the upcoming chapters, albeit, weird.
> 
> I love Caelum, just as how I love Ryuuichi, but I don't know why, I just want to see Caelum suffer. Idk why.
> 
> I don't know what else to say here so I hope you guys have a great week!!
> 
> Okay I probably jinxed myself because not an hour later I stubbed my toe against the sofa and it's legit bleeding. Like, the skin before the nail peeled off and I probably broke the nail at some point but broken nail is the last of my concern. My toe is bleeding. And there's practically no way that I can wrap it with a plaster. So I took a bandage and tried. And failed.
> 
> It hurt like hell that I whined out loudly. Please save me from this hell.
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	8. Baby Steps

_A man of forty smiled at a young boy with ginger hair, holding onto his hand as they walked down the street. The young boy chattered about the book he had read, swinging their hands together. His uncle would occasionally speaks up, either to answer a question, to explain something, or to correct the boy's pronunciation. The man was amused at how the boy managed to recite the story, word by word._

_Once, he had asked how did the boy managed to remember everything in detail, not a single thing forgotten only to be answered with a confused look. The boy had tilted his head and asked if he was doing it wrong, remembering things that is. He had then describe to his uncle that images of what he had seen would pop out and words that he had read would tumble out whenever he needed._

_Horror dawned the boy as he stuttered if that wasn't normal and if something was wrong with him. His uncle had chuckled and crouched to his eye level. He had gently ruffled his ginger hair as he explained. "There's nothing wrong with you, my child. It is rare for someone to have such good memories, so it surprised me."_

_"Oh. I thought it's the same with everyone."_

_"No, it's not." His uncle had hoisted him up and bopped him on his nose, eliciting giggles from the boy. "It's something only certain people have. It's unique, and it's special." Metallic blue eyes sparkled as he took in the man's words. "It's your gift, my child. Cherish it. Cherish your memories and never forget them even though it's painful. Sometimes, forgetting is much more painful than remembering."_

_The boy didn't exactly understood what his uncle meant, but nodded anyway. "I will." The corner of his uncle's eyes crinkled as the man smiled even brighter._

("How can this be a gift, uncle?")

\-----------------------------------------------------

Two days. Caelum had been unconscious for two days since the first time he woke up. It was honestly worrying, because none of them knew what was wrong with the man. Knuckle had healed the broken bones and any internal injuries Caelum had, but even then, Caelum remained unconscious. Not even his flames did anything. It was there, but silent. It no longer linger in the air, protecting Caelum but resided inside of the ginger burning slowly.

Alaude slowly tipped the mug, letting the water flow into Caelum's slightly agape mouth. It was perhaps on reflex that the ginger had swallowed the water, but at least it was reassuring enough. Alaude stopped once the mug was empty and set it aside. He watched the man's peaceful face wordlessly, the lightly breathing filling the air.

He leaned back onto the chair and looked out to the window, where the sun was slowly setting, different colours painted the sky in harmony. It was as beautiful as always, but Alaude found himself not fully paying attention to it. He was lost in his thoughts again. With how frequent he did that, he was actually slightly concerned.

During the two days, Alaude had called upon the men he had stationed in the village to guard the house and clean it up. Caelum's deceased family members had been given a proper burial, whereas the Capital men were no longer salvageable. The priest had did the prayers as Alaude obtained information from Percy.

He was right. It was a planned murder. (He had sent people to look for Lucien and the others' bodies, and they would arrive in perhaps midnight.) Honestly, Alaude didn't know what else to feel except anger and exhaustion when Percy finished his recount. He had dismissed the man after telling him to write a report about it and hand it to him, and take care of the twins, mind running and plotting. (He would have to take this in hand. The Capital needed an immediate lesson on not touching off-limit-grounds after all.)

He sighed inaudibly, closing his eyes to will away the nagging headache.

"What's with the long face..?" His eyes snapped open at the soft and hoarse voice, barely coherent. Metallic blue eyes, half-lidded watched him tiredly. Alaude jerked forward. "You're awake." He sounded monotonous, but he was surprised. Genuinely surprised, because the last he had expected was the man waking up calm. Of course, he was glad, but it was unexpected.

Caelum seemed to had heard the surprise in his voice just fine and chuckled slightly. "Yeah." He closed his eyes, but not dozing off. His lips pursed, eyebrows pulled together slightly. "How long have I been sleeping?" Alaude observed the look on his face, saying nothing of it as he answered. "Two days."

"Wow." Caelum breathed out. He blinked and looked over to the setting sun. Two days. He had been sleeping for two days. No wonder he felt the ache in his bones for lying too long in one position. For two days, he had been rerunning through his memories of his family, since the beginning til the end. Each and every one of it, over and over again, etching in even further into his mind than it had ever been.

Chill set in his bones.

"It is always this painful?"  _To lose those who you love?_

Alaude didn't need to hear the rest of the sentence to know what the man meant. It was as obvious as daylight. And it was something Alaude knew very well. "Yes."

"Does it.." Caelum's voice faltered. He almost didn't wanted to continue, but he braced himself and took a deep breath, spoke up in a louder and clearer voice. "Will it get better?"

"No." Alaude said truthfully. "No it won't, but you'll learn how to bear with it. You'll learn how to live with it, but the pain will never disappear." It never did. Til this day, Alaude could still feel the pain of his lost. It was bearable, and it was still there, but he had learned to accept it. It was a mark for him to protect, and to shield away from people to prevent any deeper connections. (Clearly, his plan wasn't working well. Not really.)

Caelum's grimaced, biting his lips as his face scrunched up. He avoided Alaude's eyes as he turned to stare out the window instead. He breathed out shakily, almost sighing. Deep inside, he had already knew the answer. He knew it, but he wanted to hear it from someone else. It still affected him, however.

He felt like crying again, but he didn't have the energy to cry. Not anymore. He was  _so tired of crying_.

Alaude reached out and patted him on his head, far too gentle for someone like him. Too gentle that it reminded Caelum of his uncle, but it contradicted. His uncle's hands were cold and big, always gentle with his touch and always careful with his hands. Alaude's? Alaude's was warm and similar to his, almost as calloused as his and almost as rough as his. Alaude's hands were firm and deadly.

How both sets of hands from two very different people could bring him such calmness was and will forever be a mystery to him.

He simply leaned into the hand, a small smile on his face.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Sometime late at night did Caelum finally moved from the bed. His body was too stiff for his liking, and too weak at the moment to the point that he couldn't even properly stand without supporting himself for awhile. He found it strange, for he didn't remember having any leg injuries. It was probably because he hadn't eat anything for quite some time. (No, it wasn't. In the very back of his mind, he knew it wasn't, but he had muted that part of his mind.)

That was also when he first met Knuckle. Their introduction was slightly awkward at first, because Knuckle had actually spent the whole time staring at him while they shook their hands, but it soon melted to nothing. The priest's cheerful attitude brought a smile to Caelum's face, even as he and Alaude had some sort of weird one-sided argument about who knows what. They were talking in another language for all he knew.

That, and Knuckle's catchphrase was very interesting.

"Careful, it's hot to the ultimate!" Knuckle warned as he set a bowl of porridge in front of Caelum. The ginger thanked him just as Alaude went to his room and came down in his trench coat. He watched the man walked to his bag by the corner of the room and put on a cloak.

"Where are you going?" Alaude lifted his head and looked a him for a moment before turning back to his bag, ruffling through it. "The Capital." Caelum involuntarily tensed up, his grip on the spoon tighten. Knuckle noticed the sudden change and frowned. From what Alaude had told him, it wasn't that surprising to see Caelum still triggered by anything that has to do with the army and his family. Although Alaude knew of that, he knew as well that there was no point in lying to Caelum.

"He's going to settle some business our boss told us to do." Knuckle piped in, diverting the man's attention. It was obvious, but he could tell that he had succeeded, if the sagging of shoulders indicated anything. Caelum nodded mutely and returned his attention to his food.

Alaude slung his bag over his shoulder and walked over to Caelum. He ruffled the ginger mop none too gently, messing it up. "I'll be back soon. In the mean time, watch over this guy," Knuckle hey-ed the beige-haired man which was ignored. "And make sure that he doesn't mess up my house." Caelum gave him a loop-sided smile as he pushed the hand away. "Yeah yeah."

(Knuckle really wondered if Alaude was possessed by some sort of ghost as he silently prayed to God.)

The beige-haired man gave Knuckle a pointed look, which the priest dubbed as I-Know-What-You-Are-Thinking-Stop-It-Before-I-Kill-You and Watch-Over-Him-Or-Else. Knuckle rolled his eyes internally and waved his hand in shoo-ing motion. Even if Alaude didn't tell him, he would do as such. He wasn't going to leave someone who's going through hard times alone. No, that's not something he should do.

When Alaude finally left, Knuckle turned all his attention to Caelum. He could still feel the flames underneath Caelum's skin, so tightly wounded together that he felt like wincing. It wasn't uncommon, these kind of control of flames. Heck the seven of them does this almost every day. But in Caelum's case, it was different.

Flames mirrors its user's personality or emotion, depending on which was stronger at the moment. Caelum's was definitely emotion at the moment, no doubt. With how he had controlled them subconsciously, because he knew that the ginger had little to no idea of the flames existence, Knuckle wouldn't be the slightest surprise if the man was bottling his feelings up, burying it deep down. He could tell, with the smallest tension in Caelum's muscle and his posture, he was trying very hard to bury everything inside him.

(He made a mental note sit the man down and explain to him. There was no way he could leave a flame active user behind without any idea what was happening to him. For all they know, he could be in greater danger if he was to be left in the dark.)

Again, Knuckle wasn't foreign to doing that because he had done it as well. (He was sure almost every one of them, even Asari, had done that, and Asari was one of the most straight-forward men Knuckle ever knew!) But Knuckle had an outlet. Knuckle would pray to God, confess everything he had down once in a while and let everything out. Does Caelum even have an outlet? He doesn't seemed like someone who would believe in God, and Knuckle wasn't going to actually convince him because the man has his own freedom to believe in what he wanted.

Does he knows that he could tell either Alaude, or even Knuckle, if he wanted to?

Perhaps, perhaps not. Knuckle had just met the man and only talked to him in like, less than ten sentences. He didn't know him well enough to tell if he would.

"Uh, Mister Knuckle?" The said man blinked out of his reverie when Caelum waved a hand in front of him. "Are you okay?"

"A-ah, yeah. Sorry about that to the ultimate. I was just.. Thinking about something."

Caelum gave him a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Knuckle had not seen him smile genuinely as of yet. "I wouldn't doubt it." Caelum stood up and picked up the bowl, walking to the sink to wash it. When Knuckle tried to stop him, he insisted, pulling the bowl away from the priest grasp. Repaying him for making him food, he said. "What would you like to drink, Mister Knuckle."

"No, it's alright-"

"Please, I insist." Knuckle paused, finally understanding what Caelum meant. "Then, coffee, please. Oh and please, calling me Knuckle's just fine."

Caelum's eyes seemed to twinkle in slight amusement.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Caelum didn't sleep at all. Throughout the night, he was kept awake by both the buzz of the coffee in his system and his mind. Half of it was because he had slept for far too long, but another half was because he didn't want to fall back to sleep. He wasn't that willing to go through his dreams again. It was repetitive. Sure, how it went was different, but in the end, he still lost them through his fingertips.

He was getting tired of it.

Knuckle had long doze off on the sofa, exhaustion through the day finally caught up to him. Caelum had quietly placed the mugs in the sink and covered the priest up with a blanket, stifling a chuckle at how soundly the man had slept. It was actually hard to tell that Knuckle used to be a boxer. His muscle didn't show through his robe, so it was probably why. (But he knew that Knuckle was very well trained and had killed before, because he had told him and because Caelum could tell.)

Though, for someone so strong, Knuckle was surely humble, to both his God and others.

Caelum shook his head and borrowed a jacket from Alaude's wardrobe, which hadn't been touch for a long time. (He liked the smell of old wood so it wasn't much of a bother.) As silently as he could, he sneaked out of the house.

He sighed in relief when he could still hear the snore from Knuckle, which meant that the man was still asleep. Good. He shook his head slightly as he looked up to the clear, night sky, where the stars dotted brightly in it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Nodding to himself, he started walking to his house.

(Somewhere in his mind was screaming at him to not go anywhere near his house anymore, but his heart told him to. His instinct told him to. He needed to go there. He needed to see the house, perhaps for the last time, but to retrieve something.)

The moment he spotted the house from afar, his mind cleared. His heart stuttered for a moment, but he didn't stop in his track. It was the right decision, he told himself. He needed to go through this. He needed to, otherwise he would probably never going to make peace with what happened. He wouldn't be able to move on.

(He so badly wanted to move on, but it wasn't possible. Not yet. Not when he knew that there was still a good chunk of him not accepting what had happen.)

He needed this closure.

(His flames stirred before stilling.)

As he stopped right at the porch, he took deep breaths to gather himself before going in. Taking a shaky step in, he scanned the whole living room. Spotlessly clean. That wasn't what he had expected. What he had expected was to see dead, rotting bodies and blood stains, not clear place where nothing was out of place.

Or maybe not. The furniture that were stained by blood were no longer in its place, the carpet had changed, so did the wallpaper. It was similar, but it wasn't the same one. "Alaude, most probably." He muttered to himself as he walked further into the house slowly, taking everything in. He was surprisingly calm, because he was sure that he would be triggered by those memories. He was relief when he didn't feel the panic in him.

He sighed softly and walked up the stairs, reliving the days where the house was filled with laughter, warmth and smiles, reliving how it was ruined in just one night. His hand brushed against the wall, taking in every grooves and dents as he walked to the attic, his room.

He pushed open the door and took in how everything was in its place, exactly how he had left it. It was so surreal, like everything was just some dream, a bad dream especially, but it wasn't.

He went to his bed and crouched, pulling out an old, battered chest that he had pushed in years ago. It was dusty and locked, which was a given since he hadn't touch it for years. He felt around the bottom of the bed until he touched something metal and pulled out a key. He unlocked the chest and pushed open the lid, coughing when the dust flew about. Inside, there was a few old books, some journals, a few trinkets and a small box by the corner.

He ran his fingers across the books but he didn't pick it up. Instead, he took the small box. He flicked it open and saw a ring sitting in there, cushioned by cotton wool. It glinted as Caelum took it. He touched the grooves, smiling at the memories of his beloved uncle. It belonged to his late uncle who had passed it to him before his last breath. It was his uncle's treasure even though he had never seen him wearing it. Caelum had, of course, took a liking on it and would stare at it as much as he could when he was younger. 

During that time, he thought that it would lit up in flames if he was to stare at it, like how he had once saw in his dreams. It never did though.

He looked at the inside of the sliver band, where the words he knew so well glinted. ' _The eyes of the Selfless._ ' Now that he thought of it, his uncle would occasionally call him 'selfless child' even though he disliked being called that. For as long as he could remember, he was never selfless. He was a selfish person. If anyone were to be called selfless, Alaude would came in mind. (The beige-haired man might kill him if told him that, probably.)

The memories of Death and Judgement calling him 'Selfless one' came in mind.

He huffed. 'Seriously, what was with them and calling me 'Selfless'?' Shaking his head, he placed the ring back into the box and closed it. He shoved it into his pockets, making sure that it would drop out and turned back to the chest. He stared at the journals for a moment before closing the chest. He locked it up and went to the window. He looked out to the village where everyone was asleep, well, almost everyone. He pushed the window open and took one last look at the key.

Taking a deep breath, he threw the key away, where it landed far from his house and into the woods.

He closed the window and took one last look at his room, and he left the house.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a slump, and I was procrastinating so hard on writing a few days ago. Not to mention I got hooked with Tenkuu Shinpan. I literally binge-read the whole manga in two nights. *sigh*
> 
> First part is Caelum's memories of him and his uncle.
> 
> Fun Fact= I don't remember if I've mentioned about this in Second Life, but Caelum has photographic memories.
> 
> Fun Fact= Knuckle was a heavy sleeper, but he was subconsciously aware of his surroundings, so he somehow knew that Caelum had left and came back.
> 
> Because of how rare Flame Active Users were, it was kept a secret between organizations that researches on it. (Mainly, to keep the government from knowing and potentially abusing the usage of Flames.) Organizations such as Vongola (still unnamed at the moment), Gilgo Nero, and Estraneo. (No, Estraneo won't be a major part of the story. Nah.) When either of them finds a Flame Active User, they would either give them a choice of learning more about it or not (Gilgo Nero), or taking them in (Vongola). Though, those active users Vongola found are either alone with no relatives or already a criminal. Somehow.
> 
> (Vongola do take in Non-Active Users though, and majority of the member are non-active as well.)
> 
> And Knuckle can cook!
> 
> Can anyone guess what ring was that? That's right. THE HISTORIAN RING!
> 
> The next few chapters might come out slower than usual unless I've a sudden spur or inspiration. The pace of the story has slowed. 
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	9. Broken

Knuckle was half awake when he spotted Caelum in the kitchen. The man was staring into space as he waited for the water to boil, not realizing that the priest had woken up. Knuckle yawned, covering his mouth as he stood and walked to him. "Good morning to the ultimate." He paused on his steps when Caelum jumped and turned to him, eyes wide.

"A-ah." The ginger laughed awkwardly, realizing that he was overreacting. "Good morning. Sorry about that." He rubbed the back of his neck as Knuckle shook his head. "No, it was my fault. Sorry to the ultimate." Caelum gave him a loop-sided smile. "Why don't you wash up first? I'll prepare breakfast."

Knuckle wanted to help, but he was still half awake. Not to mention that he hasn't done his morning routine yet.

He blinked and frowned. He looked out to the window to find that it was still dark outside. He raised an eyebrow at Caelum, who turned back to the kettle. 'He didn't sleep last night, did he?' Knuckle was an early riser, his biological clock set to wake up before the break of dawn to do his morning runs and stuff, and he was proud enough to claim that he was the earliest among his comrades.

Deciding that he definitely needed a wash-up, he left Caelum to his own devices, trusting that the man would be alright.

Caelum could hear the door closing and water running from where he was as he poured hot water into two mugs carefully. He had a sudden flashback to the dreams he had, causing his hands to shake slightly. Pursing his lips, he steeled himself and steadied his hands again.

Once he was done, he moved to prepare some toast with the bread Alaude had brought. With little to no ingredient at all, Caelum couldn't cook anything. He didn't really feel like going out to buy as well, not like the stalls have opened anyway. However, before he could even touch the bread, he heard a series of knocks on the front door.

He froze at his spot, staring at the door. He paled slight, because there was no way that was Alaude. Alaude would just open the door unannounced. He didn't want anyone other than Alaude or Knuckle to see him as well. Even though he hoped loudly internally, hoping that whoever was by the door to leave, they never did.

The knocking was constant even though there was no answers to it. If anything, it increased in pace and had gotten louder and louder.

Knuckle came rushing down, his hair damp and a towel draped across his shoulder. He frowned at the knocks and looked at Caelum to see him all tensed and stiff in the kitchen. Immediately knowing what was up, he held up a hand to Caelum, gaining his attention and mouthed. 'I got this. Calm down.'

"Yes?" He said loudly as he rushed to open the door half-way, making sure to shield the kitchen from view. He blinked when a man and a woman stood by the porch. The man  _felt_  familiar. It was a little strange since that thought sounded  _logical_  in his mind. (Though, he wasn't going to say anything about it because the last thing that exist in the life he has was anything but  _logic_. God, do you know how  _long_  it took for him to properly wrap his head around the fact that he could physically emit  _flames_  out of his own body? Gosh.) He briefly wondered if he had met him before.

The blond woman was surprised, which puzzled Knuckle even more. It was like she didn't expect to see him. "Is something wrong to the ultimate?" He said it in English, half expecting them not understanding him. (He meant no offense to any of them, but he was  _sure_  that English wasn't a frequent language that has being used in this village. Minus Caelum. The ginger's English was very accurate that Knuckle had thought that the man was an English man at first.)

"Oh! Uhm." The woman choked out upon the different language. She stumbled upon her words, trying to form a proper sentence when the man took a step forward. " _Signore Knuckle_." The man bowed slightly.

Knuckle's smile faltered.

" _My name's Percy. I'm Signore Giotto's man. I was stationed in the one of the army Leader's to monitor the Capital's movement by him._ " He raised an eyebrow at that.

" _Proof_."

The man, unfaltering, handed him a glass marble, the same glass marble he had showed it to Alaude before. Knuckle rolled it on his palm, feeling the familiar flames seeping out from it. No wonder Percy felt familiar. He had Giotto's mark on him. It also meant that the man was speaking of the truth.

He handed back the marble, well aware that Caelum was looking at him. " _What is the matter?_ " Percy gestured to the blond woman, who looked increasingly confused at their conversation. (None of them held a grudge against her, for they were speaking in Italian after all.)

" _She wishes to speak to Signore Caelum_." Knuckle's lips pulled thin as he glanced at the said man, whose hands were gripping the counter tightly. He hesitated. Caelum had made it clear that he didn't wanted to see anyone with his body language. Knuckle himself knew that the man wasn't ready yet as well. Just when he was about to reject them, the woman jumped closer, making Knuckle to lean back just so she wasn't too close to him.

"Please!" She said in heavily accented English. "Please, I need to speak to him. Please.." Her words faltered as her head bowed, hands trembling as they clutched onto her dress, her blond hair shifting.

Knuckle made eye contact with Caelum. The ginger, having to hear her voice the first time, was unnerved. He looked as though he wanted to bolt, but had decided against it upon those words. He broke the gaze first, looking at the ground and gritted his teeth. He ruffled his hair roughly, clenching his free hand into a fist.

He gnawed on his bottom lips, contemplating for a long while before he nodded. He took deep breathes, ignoring the concerned look Knuckle was giving him. It was true that he didn't want to meet anyone, but it was  _Azura_  he was talking about. She wasn't just  _anyone_. She-

He had to force down the bile that threatened to rise up from his stomach and closed his eyes.

"Please, come in." Knuckle stepped aside and let them in as Caelum turned to pour two more mugs of water for them, cursing his shaky hand internally.

The priest led them to the sofa and gestured them to sit before he went to help Caelum with the mugs. Caelum's head was down the whole time, purposely avoiding Azura's eyes as he set the mugs down, hands trembling. The moment he placed it on the coffee table, the moment he noticed Percy's presence, his eyes flashed murderously as he backed away, fingers twitching as though they wanted to grab a weapon.

"Why is he here?" He hissed lowly, making sure that everyone in the room sense his hostility towards Percy. Percy had both of his hands up in surrender, but other than that, he did nothing else. He didn't want to agitate the man even further, not when he knew why the man was like that. Caelum had all the reasons in the world to be hostile towards him after all.

"I told him to accompany me." Caelum looked over to Azura, finally meeting her eyes. She flinched when his metallic blue eyes glared at her and she bit her inner cheeks. She had never seen him like this before and honestly, she was scared. (She could still remember the dull look on him as he, without a single remorse, ended those men's lives. She could still remember how those pair of eyes glanced at her with not a single recognition in them, how those metallic blue eyes she had loved made her shake with the sole intention to kill.)

She was scared of Caelum, even though she knew that he was not the one at fault.

Caelum felt a pang of pain when he noticed her flinch and fear, and glanced away. His shoulders sagged as he sat down beside Knuckle, who was on the edge. If anything were to happen, Knuckle would be the first to jump up and in action after all.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" He muttered quietly, but was loud enough for them to hear. He just wanted to get on with it and hide after it was all over.

Azura clenched her hands together. "What.. What's going to happen now?" She didn't need to hear what had happen that night, for she had already knew. She didn't want to hear it again. Caelum scoffed so monotonously that all of them were unnerved by it. "Who knows? I don't." He answered curtly.

"You," Azura hesitated. "You're not planning to leave, are you?"

Caelum gave no respond to that as she pressed on. "You're not going to leave your sisters behind, are you?" Caelum's hands curled into fists. His silence had only showed that he wasn't denying on that. "How could you?! Noella and Naeva need you! You're their only family left!" Her voice rose at the end as she panted, face slightly flushed with anger. "I need you.."

Caelum snapped.

"How could I stay," He slowly said, voice shaking. "When you wouldn't even believe in me anymore?" Azura's eyes widen at that accusation. "I never-" "Then look at me in the eyes and tell me that you're not afraid!" She swallowed when their eyes met again. She opened her mouth and tried to say something, but nothing came out. She tried again and only met the same result.

Caelum laughed dryly. "See? You're afraid, because I'm a murderer. A  _monster_." He spat out in disgust with himself. Azura's eyes were watery as she tried to deny it. "N-no. You're not-"

"Don't try and twist the truth." She stayed quiet, trying very hard to keep the tears in. It pained Caelum's heart at how hurt she was, but he didn't reach out to comfort her. He wanted to, but he couldn't. He turned his attention to Percy instead. He had known that the man was a spy. It was so obvious. If he wasn't, why would Knuckle even let him in? Why would even Alaude allow this man to protect Azura and the twins if he was an enemy?

"Tell me, were you there when they killed Lucien?" Percy lowered his gaze in grim. "Yes."

Anger bubbled in Caelum and overflowed. He could no longer stop himself and leaped for the man, clutching onto the collar of his shirt. "Why didn't you save them?! Why did you let them kill him, when you can stop them?! Why?!"

Knuckle and Azura both shot up and tried to pried the ginger away to no avail. "Caelum- no!"

"Tell me!"

"Because I couldn't fight against ten men all at once!" Percy shouted in return.

"You-!" A loud slap resonated in the room as silent fell across them suddenly. All eyes were on Azura as tears finally fell from her eyes, cascading down her cheeks. "We're leaving." Her words were final, as she finally managed to pull Caelum's hands away from Percy and tugged the latter out.

Caelum stared at the spot she once stood just as she stopped for a moment by the door before leaving the house. "I.. I'll take care of Noella and Naeva."

The moment the door slammed shut, he could hear loud sobs from outside as he dropped down back onto the sofa. Knuckle was talking to him, but he couldn't hear anything. He could only feel the stinging pain on his cheek, the sharp pangs in his heart.

He teared up and slowly curled into a ball, clutching his head as he cried. He cried out in anguish, breathing heavily as he could barely registering that Knuckle was calling out to him and tugging his hands, trying to pry them away before he hurt himself. He lost them. He had lost all of those he loved. They were all gone.

He  _pushed them away_.

Something snapped in him and he jerked, vision fading before he crumpled like a puppet with cut strings. Knuckle's eyes widen. What hit him first was the wave of flames, lashing out and no longer in control. The second was the fact that Caelum was lying on the sofa, unmoving and unconscious.

"Caelum!" He called out, reaching out to touch the man only to pull back when the flames attacked him. Knuckle clicked his tongue and pulled out his own flames, trying to push back Caelum's flames without overwhelming him. It was a risk. A risk of accidental harmonization. It was a risk that Knuckle shouldn't take, but he had to. If Caelum's flames wasn't under control soon, it would go berserk.

When it does, not only Knuckle would be injured, Caelum's life would be in danger. (If only Giotto or Asari was around. They would be able to calm the ginger down, if that was what the man needed at the moment. Knuckle could only do so much.)

Knuckle gritted his teeth as he prayed to God. He prayed to his Lord for His guidance and His aide. He prayed to his Lord for their safety. With a deep breath, he released all of his restrain on his own flames and let it flood the room.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Alaude twitched and gazed out the window, a hand grasping the handle of giant mug, half-filled with beer. He stared for a full minute before turning back to the beer. He was taking a break, having to work through the whole night non-stop, only to decide that he need a drink when the sun was high up in the sky. He had infiltrated into his target's house and killed him before burning down the place and escape. Said target was one of the high-positioned government workers, and also one of the most corrupted one.

That target would have been spared if he had not stepped on the wrong side. Not to mention that he was actually the one who approved of making his village a government land.

Alaude huffed, remembering the actual mission from Giotto. It was to find something left by a man named Talbot. According to Giotto, Talbot had left it in France many years ago and had told him to retrieve it. None of them knew what it was, but Talbot had said that they would know once they found it. So far, there was no progress to that.

His eyes narrowed and he whirled around, a small knife in hand and pointing at the throat of the man that had sent him here, Giotto. Giotto met his eyes unflinchingly, the ever gentle smile on his face. He didn't even bat an eye over the knife. Beside him was Daemon Spade with his usual smirk, which annoyed Alaude as it always did, but he ignored the man.

"What are you doing here?"

Giotto hummed thoughtfully. "To lend a hand on the mission." Alaude twitched at that. He didn't need help in the mission ever, and Giotto knew that as well. Hell, Alaude could go solo and come out victorious if he wanted to. And of course, Giotto knew that too.

"I know what you're thinking, but I felt that this mission isn't something that you can do alone, Alaude." The said man glared at the blonde before shifting it to the chuckling blunette. "My my, you still don't get it do you? What he meant is that his intuition was acting up, and it led to you, Skylark."

"Daemon, please don't call my instinct intuition."

"It is and will always be intuition."

Giotto sighed and shook his head in exasperation. Alaude clicked his tongue. He understood what Daemon was talking about, and more often than not, Giotto's intuition was accurate. Granted, it wasn't as though Giotto could see the future or anything, but Giotto's intuition had saved them countless of times. It was a very,  _very_  accurate but sort of ridiculous sixth sense.

He lowered his knife and turned back to the counter to down the rest of the beer in one go before placing some coins down on the counter. He stood from the stool and walked out, followed by the other two. Just as he stepped out of the building, doors swinging close behind Daemon, he heard an eagle call.

Looking up to the sky, he saw a bald eagle circling above where they were, calling. The villagers stared in awe, children pointing at it with excitement but Alaude paid no heed to it. Instead, he frowned. It was his eagle. He had left it at his home just in case Knuckle needed to contact him if there was an emergency that needed his immediate attention. Namely, emergency that has anything to do with one still unstable ginger. He had hoped that there wouldn't be one, but it seemed like there was. Alaude could already tell the  _excitement_  and  _exhilaration_  the message would bring. (Note the sarcasm, which, had Alaude grimacing internally.)

The eagle circled once more before diving down and landing on Alaude's shoulder. Alaude brushed its feathers as he took the small rolled up paper tied to its leg and unrolled it.

The moment he read those exact words, he rushed to the stable where his horse was with a hasty order to Giotto and Daemon. "Follow."

Giotto and Daemon exchanged surprised looks before running towards their horses as well.

The eagle took its flight, the message crumpled in Alaude's pocket as the three of them rode off into the woods, leaving trail of dust behind.

' _S.O.S. Caelum's flames gone out of control. Danger; Red._ '

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The word count of this chapter is literally 3K. Like exactly 3000 words. Damn.
> 
> Fun Fact= Yes, Knuckle is the earliest riser among the First Gen, but he was also the heaviest sleeper of all of them. Every morning, without fail, he would pray first, then a wash-up before going for his daily jog around the mansion for two times, which, mind you all, is very big, before he goes for a quick shower. And then breakfast.
> 
> Half asleep Knuckle equates Dangerous Knuckle.
> 
> I decided not to italic the words whenever Knuckle speaks in this chapter because he speaks in English. Italic words are in Italian. Though, the part between Alaude, Giotto and Daemon are in Italian instead of English. It's like, reverse. But note that when Caelum talked to both Percy and Azura, they were speaking in French.... This is messing with my brain more than I like. Goddammiittt-
> 
> The part where I cut short on Caelum's description on Azura, the 'She-' part, was because Caelum cut himself off when he remembered the look Azura gave him on that night. The look of rejection.(?)
> 
> Fact= Imagine this; Caelum's flames when he became active, were in this glass cage. So when he snapped, the glass cage shattered and his flames no longer had something to stabilize itself. During the time with Alaude, his flames didn't go berserk because the information hasn't truly sinks. Or something like that.
> 
> Fun Fact= Giotto called his Hyper Intuition instinct, but the rest of them called it Intuition. Although, once, G. had called it screwed-up-sixth-sense-that's-too-creepy-for-his-sanity.
> 
> Fun Fact= Alaude has this system that almost everyone in the Vongola (Unnamed) knew, and that is the Danger system. It is a system that should only be used when they were absolutely, positively, definitely and undoubtedly needed his help. (If not, don't even bother to call him unless he come himself.) There are only two level of Danger, which is Red and Orange. Orange is that they need Alaude's help but it's not exactly immediate and not that life threatening. Red is when they need his immediate help and it is life threatening (and/ or it involves Giotto).
> 
> Fun Fact= The Historian ring was, indeed, made by Talbot. I'm not going to give any information about this until much later.  
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	10. Harmonization

Knuckle downed the glass of water at one go before placing it on the counter, clutching on. His heart was still beating faster than usual, which wasn't surprising. He had overexerted himself and it was hard to rile in his flames again. It has been years since the last time he fully released his restrains on them after all.

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead on the wall beside him, leaning against it, taking deep breathes in even tempo. Soon, his heart rate slowed to normal, finally able to get himself together fully. Although, his hands were still shaky from the adrenaline. He clenched his hands into fist, willing them to stop shaking and breathed in deeply once more.

Turning, he walked back into the living room, where Caelum lied on the couch. He crouched, brushing the ginger hair away from his forehead and felt the temperature. It was rather high, which meant Caelum was having a fever. His body was struggling to cope the stress his flames were causing.

It took Knuckle a really long time to finally contain Caelum's flames, even if it was only temporary. Caelum had drifted in and out of consciousness during the whole time, so it made it almost impossible to talk him out of his shock. Not to mention that his flames kept on pushing against Knuckle's, stinging the whole time. It was probably out of sheer luck that they didn't accidentally harmonize when Knuckle's flames pushed back, coaxing and forcing.

No. That wasn't it. They were fortunate enough that they didn't accidentally suffocate each other to death with their flames.

Caelum's breath hitched, breaking Knuckle out of his reverie but he didn't wake up. He was panting slightly, eyebrows pulled together in pain. Knuckle couldn't help but smile a little. At least he managed to control the damage before it got worst for the time being. He thanked his Lord for that. (Though, he couldn't help but worry about what Caelum's flames would do inside the ginger. If Alaude doesn't come back soon and help him, it would eat Caelum inside out, damaging his internal organs. When that happens, God knows how to save the man.)

Knuckle perked up when he heard rhythmical thuds of hooves against the ground and hurried to the door. When he swung it open, Alaude had pulled the reins and the horse came to a stop. His attention wasn't fully on the beige-haired man, however. It was the two men who followed him.

He blinked in surprise just as Alaude jumped down and barged into the house, almost knocking down Knuckle in process. "Giotto! Daemon! What are you both doing here?"

Giotto patted his horse as he unmounted it, smiling at the priest. "Instinct." ("Intuition, Giotto. Intuition.") Knuckle nodded, immediately understanding what the man meant and ushered them in.

Alaude knelt beside Caelum, pressing his hand against his forehead with a scowl. The fever was concerning, yes, but Alaude was more worried about the hint of flames in the air, haven't fully disperse. He could feel Caelum's flames unstable as well. "What happened?"

Knuckle's lips pulled thin as he closed the door. "This morning, Percy and a lady named Azura came." Alaude twitched when Giotto came near them and brushed his hand across Caelum's pale cheek, but he did nothing to stop him. "They had a conversation and.. And he broke."

"Percy was here?" Giotto asked, pulling his hand away the moment he felt the flames and how painful it was. (It was trashing painfully against the hold Knuckle had placed, no doubt trying to break it.) Knuckle nodded and explained what had happened according to what Alaude told him. Giotto frowned and looked at the unconscious ginger solemnly.

Daemon hummed. "His flames went berserk, did it?" He tapped his cheek lightly. "And even if you try to talk him out of it, if he's really in the state like you said, then it won't work. Not when his resolve and will to live is weak." He smiled, albeit loop-sided. "He's going to die, isn't he?"

Alaude's eyes flashed murderously at the blunette. He growled at him and stood up, body tensed and shoulders squared, as though he wanted to attack Daemon right there, right then. Daemon looked at him right in the eyes, not backing down. In fact, his lips had tugged into a smirk instead.

Giotto sighed, intervening the two of them. "Stop it, you guys. Now is not the time to fight. Alaude, you know that we wouldn't let him die." Alaude clicked his tongue and turned away. "And Daemon." The said man hummed as Giotto turned to him. "You can feel it don't you, his flames."

Daemon nodded. "Yes. He's the first one."

Giotto nodded back. His gaze dropped to Caelum, who seemed to be in more pain than a minute ago. ".. The only way we can save him is by harmonizing with him and grounding him."

Knuckle frowned. "But the discordance.. He'll suffer the effect of discordance if things goes wrong, and we haven't truly know what it would do!"

"Yes. Which is why Daemon, you need to do this." Daemon mocked a sigh and shook his head, arms crossed. "My my. How troublesome." Giotto gave him a pointed look, to which Daemon sighed again. "I will do it. You know I will, Giotto. He's a rare specimen after all."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Knuckle was confused. Their conversation had totally flew off his head, but he knew that he wasn't going to like it. Alaude looked more or less wanted to deck the heck out of Daemon and Giotto, but he was quiet about it.

"Daemon's going to try and communicate with Caelum." Giotto said.

"But he's unconscious!" Then something clicked in his mind as they all looked at how his facial expression changed. 'Oh.' His eyes widen. "You don't mean.."

"Yes, Knuckle. We meant exactly what we meant." Daemon huffed. "Mind communication."

"I thought that you still haven't get a full grasp of it?" The aristocrat shrugged. "Perhaps, but it should work." 'After all, he's the same.'

"Well then, shall we get started?"

\---------------------------------------------------------

Somehow, Caelum had grown used to the darkness. It wasn't a reassuring thought, but at least it was better than his usual nightmares. He sat in the middle of the blanket of black, knees pulled to his chest as he curled up into a ball. He felt cold. Colder than usual and emptier as well. He didn't feel the pain of being alone nor the heartbreaking sadness. (Nor the pain his flames was afflicting.)

He just felt,  _empty_. So empty that he thought that it was actually a bit lonely.

"My my, broken already? How disappointing." His eyes widen at the voice and lifted his head up the moment a being appeared in front of him. It was a man of his age, maybe older by a few years, with a smirk. He was slightly glowing in indigo, but that was probably because of the darkness around him.

"Who-" Daemon held a hand up and Caelum paused, mouth clicking shut. A second later, another man with blonde hair appeared, but instead of indigo, he glowed in orange. The man looked around, before his warm, orange eyes landed on the ginger. Caelum was stone-shocked.

It dawned him that he should be in his own mind, so were the two men a part of his dreams, or had he gone crazy?

"No, you're still sane and you're definitely not dreaming." Daemon said. "Daemon Spade." He nodded to Caelum, ignoring how the disapproving look Giotto was giving. "And I'm Giotto." The blonde reached out a hand. "You must be Caelum."

Caelum eyed them warily before he slowly reached for the outstretched hand and shook it briefly. He nodded. "Yes. What's going on?"

Giotto smiled before he moved to sit in front of Caelum, Indian style. Behind him, Daemon made a noise at the back of his throat and grumbled as he sat beside Giotto. Caelum stiffen at how close they were but didn't move away. "We're Alaude and Knuckle's friends." At that, he visibly relaxed, but he was still guarded.

"We're currently in your mind. I'm sorry we didn't ask for your permission, but you weren't conscious."

He gaped. "What- How?"

"Flames." He looked at them incredulously. "It's a long story, and we'll explain it one by one. First of all, do you know what Flames is?" Caelum pursed his lips, wondering if it was a trick question. If in terms of the word, yes. Fire. Flames is fire, that he knew. But he knew as well that the Flames Giotto referred to wasn't that, so he shook his head.

Out of nowhere, Giotto lifted a hand and clenched it. Almost immediately, his whole fist was coated in Orange flames. The ginger's eyes widen. "This, is the Flames that I'm talking about." It extinguished as Giotto lowered his hand. "Dying Will Flames, to be exact." He absently added, remembering the newest term for the Flames.

"It.. It doesn't burn?" Giotto shook his head. "Unless I wanted it to, it doesn't burn. Its a sort of energy that certain people have. Its like blood, a form of life-force. We call it the Dying Will Flames is because almost all of those Flame Actives found their flames through their resolution to live and/ or strong emotions for something."

"In short, Flames is the energy that forms when one's in a very dire, life-and-death situation. Even so, there's only one-eighth of a chance of the Flames actually appearing." Daemon chipped in. Caelum nodded slowly. It sounded unbelievable, but it had his full attention. Plus, the fact that he was actually talking to two men who definitely weren't a fragment of his dreams or anything was actually making him believe it.

"And what does it have to do with me?"

Giotto's head tilted slightly. "You're a Flame Active, Caelum." The said man sat straight at that. "We didn't exactly have the time to ask what happen, but its going berserk, your Flames. Knuckle managed to at least contain it, but not for long. It was, and is lashing out at everything. If we-  _you_ , don't get it under control any time soon, it's going to break out of its restrain and attack your inner organs.

"In another words, it'll kill you from inside out."

Caelum rewound the words in his mind again and again, taking it apart one by one to fully understand it. His lips pulled thin as everything sank. He really wanted to believe that all this was just a dream, but it wasn't, not when he confirmed it himself that he wasn't dreaming and everything was real. He knew that, but he wanted to doubt it.

He was going to die.

Giotto, at the look on his face, though wanted to reach his hand out to the man, refrained himself from doing it. Not yet, he told himself. "If you allow us, we can help you. We can help you, but there'll be side effects and consequences." Caelum looked at him in the eyes. Giotto coughed into his hand.

"There are seven types of flames, as far as we know. Seven flames with different colours and different traits, all named under the element of weather. Green, the Lightning flames that hits harder than anything else. Red, the Storm flames that shatters everything in its path. Blue, the Rain flames that calms and dulls the storm. Yellow, the Sun Flames that brings life to the living. Purple, the Cloud flames that increases in number as second passes. Indigo, the Mist flames that hides the truth from the eyes.

"And lastly, Orange. The rare Sky flames that brings peace to all. Of all these flames, the leader of the complete set is usually the one who possesses the Sky flames because of its perk. The ability to bring harmony among the different type of flames."

Caelum recalled the colour of Giotto's flames. "So, you're a Sky."

The blonde nodded. "I am. And so are you, Caelum." Caelum blinked in surprise at that. "Impossible." There was no way he's a Sky. Of all of the flames, and he had one of the rare types? Not to mention he wasn't a leader material.

"But you are." Daemon mused. "You're a Sky and a Mist. I've to admit, it is indeed a surprise to find someone with dual flames. You're the first that we've encountered."

"Indeed. Anyway, the idea is for the both of us to Harmonize." Giotto said solemnly as he added. "But the side effect to harmonization is that, if we're in anyway possible break the harmonization by force or by will, is that we'll suffer discordance. What discordance does is still largely unknown, but we gathered that whoever suffers discordance will fall into despair and depression because of the lost."

Daemon leaned in slightly, gaining Caelum's attention as their eyes met. "Do you know why we still haven't obtain much information on discordance? Because most of those who went through it are dead." He ignored the alarmed call from Giotto. "They've all committed suicide."

When Caelum didn't flinch, Daemon was disappointed. He had half-expected the man to be frighten, but there wasn't a single reaction to it.

Now, why was that?

"Caelum. That is only if the harmonization breaks. Right now, we need to get your flames under control again. I can help you by grounding your flames, but that is if you allow me to harmonize with you."

Caelum had heard that loud and clear, but his thoughts weren't exactly letting him come up with an answer, nor did his mouth wanted to cooperate. His mind was telling to accept the offer, side effects be damned, but his heart wasn't. He still have the feeling, albeit not continuously, but its there. The feeling of wanting to die. The want to die. He could actually understand why those who went through discordance committed suicide.  _The pain of losing someone who truly knows you is excruciating_.

Honestly, he would be lying if he say he didn't feel like giving everything up the moment he heard that he was dying. More so when he heard of the harmonization. He don't think he could take it if he were to lose anyone else. Twice was more than enough for him.

His mind drifted to the beings called Death and Judgement, his sin, his  _duty_. (The chain was heavy even when it wasn't physical, but it was somehow giving him a small sense of security.)

Is he worthy enough to die, should be the question rather than is he worthy enough to live. He felt like he doesn't worth the quick relieve.

It felt like he doesn't worth anything but pain and suffering.

"Caelum." He lifted his head up. Giotto could barely hold back the urge to flinch at how hopeless and resigned the ginger's eyes were, as though he had surrendered to Fate. He held out his hand. "Caelum, we  _will_  help you. You're not alone in this. We are all in this with you. We will face this with you. So please, don't give up."

Caelum wondered for a moment, if the blonde had seen through him, if he understand what Caelum was thinking. Perhaps he did, perhaps he didn't, who knows. Caelum doesn't.

He sounded so convincing though. Caelum felt a bit wary, even though he knew he could trust this man, who Alaude follows.

Without a word, he nodded and grabbed the hand. Giotto smiled at him and squeezed his hand reassuringly as Daemon huffed, muttering a soft 'finally' under his breath. He then disappeared, leaving the younger two alone in the dark.

Giotto paid no heed to that as he relaxed himself, getting ready. "Well, then. Shall we start?"

\---------------------------------------------------------

Alaude felt restless as he leaned against the wall, watching as Daemon stretched from his position, standing up from the bed. His hand that was previously on Caelum's right hand left an unpleasant feeling in Alaude's gut. Giotto, who was unconscious as beside Caelum on the bed, was holding onto Caelum's left hand. There was a buzz in the air, Giotto's flames that seeped out slightly filling the air.

At least the buzz was more reassuring than Daemon's smirk, which was pointed towards him. It irked him, and the Mist knew that very well.

"How did it go?" Knuckle asked, intercepting the stare-off. Daemon turned towards the priest and hummed. "He agreed. Although, I would say that it wasn't because Giotto managed to convince him." He said thoughtfully. 'No, definitely not.' It would be hard to convince the man to actually live on his own will and not because of whatever was tying him down. Daemon smirked to himself. 'Things will be interesting from now on.'

"Well, at least he agreed." Knuckle breathed out, thanking his Lord.

A sudden burst of flames filled the air, surprising the three men. They weren't surprised by the burst, actually. They were expecting that. What they weren't expecting was how the flames, same and different, coiled around each other, matching each other like puzzle pieces. It was like the flames was a whole once until it was forcefully torn into two. (The flames with tint of indigo submitted to the pure one, letting it hold it protectively, hold it like a pillar for it to support, letting it wrap up it without a fight. Cracks were present, but that was that.)

Daemon's lips tugged into a fairly large grin as Knuckle fell in awe. "This never happened to us when we harmonized with Giotto, did it?" Knuckle could feel the thick harmony in the air, smoothing. "No. So this is how the harmonization of two Skies  _feels_  like. Definitely a different bond from ours. It's almost like they're soulmate or something."

Alaude scowled as the two chattered about the harmonization and all. He could feel the flames brushing against his skin. The familiar one seemly cooed around him-  _them_ \- while the other one,  _Caelum's flames_ , it lingers around them, not daring to touch either of them. Caelum's flames were shying away from them, for who-knows-what reason.

Alaude pulled out his flames, just enough not to alert the priest and the blunette, and let it grasp onto Caelum's flames. He let it hold onto it, as though telling Caelum not to be afraid of him, that he was there, waiting for him.

(Caelum's flames stopped trying to shy away. Giotto's  _cooed_ and  _purred_  louder at that.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lore is a pain in the ass to write in the story because it disrupts the flow so much I just wanna cry. I apologize for not much warning on the suicidal thoughts.
> 
> I'm sorry for not updating earlier. I was busy applying for scholarships and it just mess me up internally. I'll be fairly busy for awhile, so I'm not sure when is the next update. 
> 
> Did anyone pick up the hint I dropped here and there before the revelation about Caelum's flames? :3 And yes, it was actually on purpose that I made Ryuuichi and Caelum the practical opposite.
> 
> The explanation given by Giotto on the flames wasn't all accurate. It was similar, but not accurate. This is because their research are still a work in progress and they haven't found out about all the attribute and perks of the flames. Nor about the other type of flames.
> 
> Fact= Giotto and Caelum harmonized, but Caelum and Alaude didn't. Caelum only harmonized with Giotto, and a handful of others in the near future. Those others will be named afterwards.
> 
> Fun Fact= They've actually moved Caelum to Alaude's room, to start the harmonization. Daemon lied on his right side while Giotto on his left with Caelum in the middle.
> 
> Fun Fact= Daemon is very creative with his flames, much like Mukuro. He experiments with his flames and push his limits to find what he can do with them. He and Alaude actually leads the research on the Flames. (Initially I wanted to put G., but G. would have to deal with a shit ton of work because he has to deal with legal works with Giotto as well soooo, ya.) 
> 
> Honestly, I can't remember what else I want to put here. I like, started writing this chapter on 6th of March and... Welp.
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	11. Leaving

Giotto shifted and opened his eyes slowly. Blinking away the ghost tear, he stared at Caelum, who was still unconscious. He squeezed the hand he was holding, smiling when Caelum, as though on reflex, squeezed back. He sat up and stifled a yawn, using his other hand to rub his neck.

A mug filled with warm water was shoved under his nose, making him jerk back in shock. He looked up and blinked at Alaude, who gave him a pointed look. Shaking his head, he chuckled and took the mug carefully. "Thank you."

Alaude grunted in reply as he sat down at the side of the bed, his gaze trained on the unconscious man. For a brief moment, none of them spoke. In that brief moment, Giotto could see how worn out the man was. Back slumped instead of straight like it usually was, shoulders sagged. The usual cold facade of his had shed, leaving a look that Giotto had only seen it once.

The man was exhausted, because of concern towards the ginger or what, Giotto didn't know. (He could tell it was the former.) It was refreshing, however, to see Alaude like that.

"He's important to you, isn't he?"

Alaude gave him a withering look that anyone would see as the look of displeasure, but Giotto wasn't just anyone, no. To Giotto, it was the look of exasperation and resignation, yet it was also the look of fondness and affection. An affection that wasn't directed to Giotto but to Caelum.

Giotto smiled to himself. "I can see why." Although he had only just met Caelum, it felt like he had known him for years. It was one of the perks of harmonization, but it was different from the usual as well. It was like Caelum was a part of him that had been taken away years and years ago until he had forgotten of his lost.

A dear and precious family of his, if not by blood, by their flames.

Alaude huffed. (If he knew about what Giotto was thinking, he said nothing about it.) "He's troublesome."

"And yet, you still care about this troublesome man more than you would admit." Alaude didn't deny it. There was no point in denying the truth. Ever since three years ago, he had developed an affection towards the ginger without he himself knowing. He had never found the reason to it, and he doubt he would find it in the near future. (No, not the near future. Perhaps an idea, but not truly.)

Even so, he won't have it any other way.

It doesn't mean he appreciate anyone telling him about it, however.

Alaude narrowed his eyes at Giotto, who shrugged with an amused smile on his lips.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

When Caelum came to it, he was alone in Alaude's room. It took him a full minute to remember what happen and register it completely. It was surreal as well. His mind was clearer than before, and he felt at peace, like nothing has ever happen. He was aware it did happen, but it didn't feel like it. He actually felt like himself again.

One of the effects from, what was that again? Right. Harmonization. Probably.

Now that he knew of the Flames and all, he was hyper-aware of the feeling in him. The peaceful hum of what he thought was his flames with Giotto's lingering ones warmed his heart. Something that he didn't know he could feel again after all that. (He had half the mind of being a loner for the rest of his last, if he wasn't dead yet. Alone without anyone by his side.)

He felt,  _contented_ , which was strange since he had practically did nothing but breaking down every waking moment until then.

He mused at that thought as he stood from the bed, albeit clumsily. He stood still for a moment, letting the dizziness slide before moving to the door. Just as he reached to open it, the door swung open itself. He jerked and pulled his hand back, blinking at Alaude, who in turn, blinked back.

Alaude narrowed his eyes as he stepped in, forcing the younger man to take a step back and closed the door behind him. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I- uh- wanted to go downstairs and find you guys?" Alaude gave him an unimpressed look. "When you can't even stand steadily?" He pushed Caelum back to the bed, making him sit back down, much to the ginger's dismay. "You need to rest. Your fever had just broke two hours ago."

Caelum raised an eyebrow. He didn't know he was having a fever. Just as he was about to say that he was well, he noticed the barely visible eyebags and exhaustion in those icy blue eyes. He frowned, a hand reaching up and touched Alaude's cheeks, the pad of his thumb brushing against the skin under his eyes. Alaude tensed as he spoke. "You looked like you need more rest than I do."

It took him a full minute to register what he had done and he pushed down the urge to blush. He looked away and pulled his hand away. "S-sorry. I did it unconsciously." Honestly, he shouldn't have feel shy at all. It was Alaude he was talking to, for heaven's sake! Alaude, who was a friend and family to him. It should've been normal.

Huh. 'Weird.'

Alaude, getting over his initial shock, shook his head. He sighed and sat down beside Caelum, ruffling the ginger hair. "It's okay." The other was right. He probably needed sleep more than the ginger do. He had been running on caffeine for almost 48 hours, and he was actually starting to feel jittery. Though, Caelum didn't need to know that.

"No, it's not. Go get some sleep." Caelum pressed on, genuinely concerned. "I don't want to see my friend work himself too much until he pass out after, what, three years of separation?"

Alaude looked at him, deadpanned, and it took Caelum yet another minute to understand that he was resting in Alaude's room, that it was probably midnight now, and the others were probably in the guest rooms. (And now it doesn't make any sense to go downstairs when none of them were awake.) "Oh. W-well I'll just be downstairs then. You can sleep." He shifted to get up, when Alaude held onto his wrist, stopping him.

The beige-haired man's nose was scrunched up slightly, eyebrows pulled together as he sighed again. "Stay." He wasn't going to let someone who had just recovered to sleep on a sofa. "We will share." The bed was probably too small to hold two full-grown men, and too cramp, but they could live with it. It wasn't like they've never shared a bed before.

"But-" Caelum's mouth clicked shut at another look and nodded hesitantly before settling down. "Okay." Alaude huffed and lied on the bed on his side, leaving enough room for the ginger to squeeze in. Caelum settled beside him, facing the man and chuckled to himself.

"What?"

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Alaude shrugged and they fell in silence. Alaude's eyes were closed, but Caelum's weren't. He just stared as the man's breathing evened out.

"What's going to happen after this?" He whispered softly. Just when he thought the other was truly asleep and had not heard his question, Alaude's voice rang clearly in his ears. "Home. We're going home." And by home, Alaude didn't mean where they were. Their birthplace were no longer their home, no longer the place where they would come back to.

And Caelum knew.

"Home, huh." He repeated, half amused with a smile playing on his lips. "That sounds nice." He hummed and closed his eyes. Alaude opened an eye before closing them, lips tugged up slightly. It does sounded nice.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Caelum knelt in front of the grave, running his hands on the dirt gently. Underneath, was his family's body. Buried deep down into ground and properly rested. He smiled sadly, eyes covered by his bangs. Meters away stood Alaude, who was wearing the long cloak he had donned during his travel, just as how Caelum had his own. He was looking out to the horizon from the hill as Caelum stared at the ground for a long time, waiting for the ginger.

The sun hasn't rise and all of them had already awaken, just as they had planned the day before. They will leave before the sun rises and head to Sicily, where their home was.

( _"Is it really a good idea, Giotto?"_

_"The question is, does Caelum want to leave?" The ginger twiddled his thumbs as he remembered of his sisters. A minute passed before he nodded, albeit slowly. "Yeah." He gazed up and out of the window, a solemn look on his face. "Yeah, I do. There's nothing left for me here."_ )

Home. It sounded unbelievable to Caelum. A few days ago, his home was destroyed in front of him, and now he was getting a new one. His heart clenched at that thought, however. He wasn't ready. He wasn't ready to receive another home. He wasn't ready to let go of his old one.

Even though it sounded nice, there was still a long way before he can finally accept a new one. Not to replace, but as another one in his heart.

He laughed wryly under his breath, cold setting in his bones as he caressed the tombstone. 'In memories of the loving family' was crafted on it. He ran his fingers through the word, mouthing them as he did. He felt tears pricking the end of his eyes as his fingers came in contact with his parents names, his siblings and their spouses' names, and his nephews'.

He forced his lips to tug up as he bowed until his forehead was millimeters away from the ground and allowed a single tear to drop. "Thank you." He whispered, planting a brief kiss. 'I'm sorry.'

It took him a second too long to stand up. He lingered for a moment as the cold wind blew, his hair and cloak swaying. The sky was still dark, as beautiful and as serene as he could remember.

He closed his eyes at how the wind seemed to be caressing his cheeks and the feeling of brief touch on his shoulders. "I'm off." He bade, finally a genuine, albeit small, smile on his lips.

He opened his eyes and turned.

( _He didn't expect to see floating glows the moment he had knelt down, not expecting how familiar they felt. He somehow knew what they were, knew who they were once. "Please, move onto the next life, and the next and next. Live the fullest and leave the past." The glows pulsed, hovering near him before disintegrating into sparks, disappearing into thin air._ )

As the two left the hill, Alaude cast a glance at the graves and nodded slightly.

.

_'My children, my beloved, live without the burden of your past. Live for your sake, for your happiness, and for your future.'_

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Giotto, Knuckle and Daemon watched in amusement from their respective horses as Caelum eyes Alaude's black horse warily. The ginger wasn't so keen of getting near the creature as he was sure that it would kick him. He bitterly said that he and animals have bad affinity, to which Alaude simply scoffed.

"Caelum, she won't  _bite_." Yeah right. They could still remember the day Alaude's horse almost bit Lampo's hand off. Alaude's horse was a feisty one indeed. She only listens to Alaude, much to their chagrin.

"I'm pretty sure that she would kick me though." Alaude rolled his eyes. Caelum doesn't own a horse, so he would have to ride with Alaude. Not to mention he probably didn't know how to ride one as well so the option of getting a horse for him unavailable.

"She won't." Caelum hummed, unconvinced. He sweated when the horse huffed, seemly impatient. Her owner seemed to share the same feeling rolled his eyes again. He stepped closer to Caelum and in one go, carried the man up. Caelum screamed as Alaude plopped him onto the horse's back.

The horse shifted at the sudden weight and Caelum stiffen, mouth clicking close, as though waiting for the horse to kick him off. When she didn't, he finally relaxed, only slightly and gingerly patted the mane. He blinked in surprise when she didn't show any indication of discomfort.

"Wow." He breathed out. It was his first time riding a horse, and probably the first time an animal allows him to touch them without throwing a fit for the first time. Even Azura's cat had taken a really long time before it stops attempting to murder him every time it sees him.

Alaude resisted the urge to roll his eyes again and mounted the horse without a word. Giotto chuckled under his breathe and shook his head. "Shall we go?" He called out, gaining the rest's attention. They all nodded and he smiled. With that, he turned and took off, closely followed by the others.

"Hold on." Was the only warning Caelum had gotten before Alaude took off last. A yelp slipped out of his mouth as he immediately clutched onto Alaude. His heart seemed to have beat in the same tempo as the gallops of the horses. He let out a silence wheeze, dared not to relax his grip on the older man.

His eyes caught the brief light in between the tree leaves and he looked up, eyes sparkled. They were deep into the forest in just a while, the thick leaves and branches casting shadow and covered the sky from sight. Even so, no matter how hard they tried to shield the sky, there were still gaps and the light never failed to shine down, even if it was from the stars that shone brightly.

He didn't look back. He didn't want to. He closed his eyes at the sound of wind rushing pass his ear and tilted his head down. He leaned his forehead against Alaude's broad, strong back and smiled. Whether this decision of his was good or bad, he would know later on. If he was to smile or mourn later on, he felt like it wouldn't matter.

For now, he would simply relish in the fact that he had taken the first step, no matter how small it was.

Alaud felt the faint touch, of course, but he said nothing of it. He merely focused on the non-existing road, following the others.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

The journey was all but a blur to Caelum. It was a long trip to the southern part of Italy. Caelum had lost count in the midst of haze of how many times he had to force Alaude to stop for a short while just so he could vomit. He definitely wasn't used to such a long journey, especially on a horse. The longest one he had was going to his Uncle's cottage a few village away. He was sore all over and tired. (He didn't dare to try and sleep during the ride, however.)

And  _finally_ , he breathed out in relief, that they had reached the docks. He leaned all his weight against Alaude's back, absolutely drained and had totally forgotten about decency. Alaude grunted at that while Giotto talked to one of the sailors, or the Captain, whatever, he didn't care. The four of them lingered back as the blonde laughed along the man before shaking his hand, presumably thanking him.

He glared at Knuckle and Daemon when they looked at him in amusement. He nudged the man on his back with his elbow, earning a groan in return but the weight didn't leave. He had to resist flipping the man off, eyes twitching slightly as he narrowed his eyes at something in a distance when he felt a small nuzzle against his back.

The other two exchanged a look, much to Alaude's annoyance. Giotto walked over to them, tugging his horse's rein. He met Caelum's metallic blue eyes in sympathy, understanding his exhaustion. (He could still remember the first time he had went on a really long journey and was so tired he had slept for two days straight.) "The boat will leave in an hour time. We should go grab something to eat and rest for awhile."

Caelum squinted his eyes at the mention of eating but he was glad that they could rest. He wasn't so thrilled about getting onto the boat. Alaude swiftly dismounted the horse after Caelum detached from him. He held his horse still as he waited for the ginger to come down.

Caelum slowly dismounted the horse, only, he was far clumsier than Alaude. His legs wobbled the moment his feet touched the ground and almost fell onto his bottom if Alaude didn't grab his arm. He grumbled a thanks as he steadied himself, wincing at the pain.

They headed to one of the restaurant near the docks, and Caelum all but plopped down onto the chair. He sighed loudly and buried his head into his arms, lying on the table.

Knuckle patted him not so gentle on the back as they ordered for drinks and chattered with the waitress in rapid Italian. Caelum didn't understand a single thing so he just closed his eyes and drowned everything out. He thought it would be hard with all the noise in the restaurant, but he had drifted off just as easily. He was probably more tired than he imagined.

Alaude, who sat beside him looked visibly irked by the noise. It was overwhelming and deafening. It was giving him a headache, but he made no move to shuffle out of the restaurant. The others weren't as disturbed as he was, but they were definitely feeling the same. Giotto and Knuckle gave him a look of sympathy, to which Alaude scoffed.

Giotto chuckled as he reached out to pat the ginger gently on the head. Caelum subconsciously leaned into the hand before the blond retracted his hand. Caelum doesn't seemed to mind as he slept through the noise as the others chatted through their food and drinks.

His nap wasn't that long to let him dream, which he was honestly grateful for, but he was still tired when they left the restaurant and the mainland of Italy all together. Fortunately for him, he managed to endure the short boat ride to Sicily. In fact, he was actually fascinated by how the boat managed to withstand so much weight, totally erasing his initial fear of sinking. He, after all, could not swim to save a life. However, he felt better when they landed on solid ground, not flowing liquid.

He breathed in deeply, smiling a little. Sicily was different from his childhood village. So much different. Perhaps because Sicily was actually an Island. He looked across the sea, relishing in the cold breeze and the sound of crashing waves. It was refreshing.

(Briefly, he wondered if this was what his uncle had saw many years ago, before he was born. He wondered if he was looking at the same scenery that his uncle had saw.)

"Caelum." He turned to Alaude, who had already mounted his horse, so did the others. The beige-haired man held out his hand for him, locking gaze with him. The ginger's smile didn't drop, but it seemed  _warmer_ , if Alaude were to describe. "Let's go."

Caelum nodded and grabbed his hand, mounting the horse and head out.

To the mansion where he would find new warmth.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally spitted this out. Yayyy!!
> 
> Fun Fact= Giotto had somehow 'cried' was because he could somehow feel the agony and loneliness Caelum was feeling. During harmonization, one would feel what the other party would feel, not necessary understand it. The more the two (or more) parties' affinity is, the stronger the feeling is. (They won't always feel the others' feelings, but occasionally a sense or two if the feeling is strong. They'll be aware of the other's presence in them tho, because of the flames) Giotto and Caelum's can be considered as a strong affinity, so ya.
> 
> Also, the process and (not necessarily bad) effect of harmonization varies between different people. Sometimes it just happens, sometimes it takes time. Sometimes by force, sometimes by accident, sometimes by will.
> 
> Note= Those people that Vongola (Still not named) had recruited, those flame actives, they are not harmonized with Giotto.
> 
> I miss writing about Ryuuichi and co. so much I'm actually having withdrawal symptoms. I've half the mind writing about Eliot's story 7 years after he join Giudizio just so I can write about them. But I actually don't have a plot if I were to write that.... Goddammiitttt---
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	12. (Still) A Stranger

To say that Caelum was tired was probably an understatement. He was downright exhausted, sore from head to toe. He could barely even keep his eyes open when they finally reached the mansion. He couldn't even process anything as he was led into the mansion. He could briefly remembered meeting a man with red hair and a scowl on his face, who sized him up before he was guided to a guest room, which would be his own personal room soon. (He would try and remember what happened exactly when he was more awake.)

The moment he stepped inside and the door was closed, he had literally fell onto the bed and passed out, sprawled out on his stomach. He didn't dream, but he was in a void. A void which would have made him panic, but he didn't react. He didn't know why, but it was slightly alarming. (Probably because he had already submitted to whatever was going to happen to him.)

" _Historian,_ " He looked up from his hands that he had been staring at and looked around. " _Take care of your eyes._ " He frowned when he saw no one. The voice echoed, a voice he had never heard before, but it felt all too familiar for him. "Who are you?" He called out.

" _Take care of your eyes,_ " He stood up, still searching for the owner of the voice. "What do you mean?" " _Historian,_ " He scowled again. The only ones who knew of that title was Judgement, Death and he himself. He hadn't told anyone about it. But that wasn't Judgement or Death.

Who?

A sudden gush of wind rushed against him, making him close his eyes and shielding his face with his arms from it. The wind soon slowed, and he cracked an eye open. His eyes widen when he was no longer in a void, but standing on an open field. He was standing on the top of a mountain, surrounded by greens. Over the horizon, the sun was slowly rising, but still in touch with earth. By the edge of a cliff, stood a man, a hand on a large tree trunk.

"Who are you?" He asked again, louder as the man was rather far. The man had his back to him, and he couldn't recognize who it was. "Please, answer me!" He was getting desperate. There was something about this man that unsettled him, not in a bad way, but still a heart wretching way.

He wanted to know. He  _needed_ to know. Just as the man turned, the wind picked up speed again, stronger than before. Caelum had to hold on and was forced to look away. He tried to look at the man again, try to speak again, but he couldn't.

" _...-your eyes,_ " He heard the man spoke again, but it wasn't clear. "What?" He shouted and managed to open his eyes again, albeit only a few millimeters wide. The man was blurry, but he could tell that he was looking at him. "- _Survive._ "

And he woke up.

His eyes were wide as he panted, feeling his shirt clinging onto him, cold sweat on his skin. His ears were ringing, and it took him a full minute to realize that he wasn't alone. Giotto was calling out to him, holding onto his shoulders with a concerned look on his face. "-elum! Are you alright?"

He nodded, still trying to calm himself down. He ran a hand over his hair as he sat up with Giotto's help. "Nightmare?" The blonde asked gently, rubbing his back. Caelum frowned. He clutched onto his hair.

"I.." He said, voice hoarse. "I don't remember." He looked at Giotto, bewildered. "I don't remember." He repeated when everything sank it. "Why can't I remember?!" He couldn't believe it, trying hard to think about the dream he just had, but he couldn't remember a single thing.

It was when Giotto gently pulled his hand away from his head and pulled him into his arms that he realized he was crying. He didn't know why he was crying. He just felt..

He felt so  _sad_.

"It's okay. It's okay not to remember." Giotto said, running his fingers through his hair. He sounded so reassuring, feeling warm and protection from him.

But it wasn't okay. If he couldn't remember, then something was wrong. Either whatever he had dreamed off wasn't exactly a dream, or he was just thinking that he had a dream when he didn't. He wanted to believe the latter.

He clutched onto Giotto for a few more moment before finally letting go, rubbing the tears off his face. He could feel his face burning slightly in embarrassment as he had finally calmed down. "Sorry.." He muttered, sniffling. Giotto merely smiled and shook his head. "There's nothing to be sorry of. Instead, why not say thank you?"

Caelum's lips tugged up slightly at that. "Alright. Thank you." Giotto nodded approvingly. "Now come on, go take a bath. Dinner will be served in a moment more."

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Caelum looked around in awe as Giotto guided him to the dining room. He took in the architecture of the mansion, the colours of the walls, the decorations, literally everything like a sponge soaking up water. He had never been into a building this big. Not even the church back in his village, which was the biggest building back there, was this big.

He didn't know if he was intimidated or pure loving the place, which, mind you, was a very beautiful and nice place.

Giotto merely chuckled at his excitement. "Well, here we are."

Caelum swallowed as Giotto pulled the seemly heavy door open. The heavenly smell of food wafted in the air hit him almost immediately accompanied by the distinct sound of cutlery scraping across the plates. In the middle was a large, round table where only four men had sat by it. They were talking about something when Giotto and Caelum arrived. Caelum saw a few plates by the empty seats and knew that they were missing a few other occupants other than the both of them. He gingerly walked in as a youngster, a teen, he presumed, turned to him. He looked bored, but his eyes shone in curiosity when he saw Caelum.

" _Giotto, is this the new member?_ " An Asian asked, a welcoming smile on his face. " _Yes._ " Somehow, during the short split second Caelum was dazed, Giotto had maneuvered him to sit beside Knuckle before he himself moved to sit in between the red haired man and the Asian.

"Ugetsu, G., Lampo, this is Caelum." The ginger nodded awkwardly at them. "Caelum, this is Asari Ugetsu," The Asian, Asari, chirped a 'Hi' in English. "G.," The red haired narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him. "And that is Lampo." The youngest in the room grunted.

"Pleased to meet you!" Asari added with a grin and a rather strange accent that Caelum found unique. He returned the smile. "Likewise."

" _Where's Daemon and Alaude?_ " Giotto asked G., who merely shrugged. " _Daemon went to fetch Elena_ ," Caelum visibly flinched at the name. It sounded so much like his older sister's name. He had tried to not show it, but clearly, he had failed since Knuckle had glanced at him in concern. " _Alaude's probably in his room or office for all I know._ "

Caelum gave Knuckle a weak, reassuring smile before turning back to the food on the table which one of the butlers had placed in front of him. Thanking the man, he reached to pick up the cutlery before pausing and sweated. There was so many of them for one meal, and he did not know which one should he use. 'Is this what Uncle had mentioned before? Dining etiquette was it?'

He sneaked a glance at what others were holding and simply picked up the one that looked correct. Although, he seemed to have made a mistake when G. squinted his eyes at him. He winced internally and decided to ignore the look he was given. He took a bite at the foreign food and he blinked in surprised. It was delicious! He had never eaten anything this delicious. Not to mention  _expensive_.

However, he felt as though it was missing something. He couldn't pin-point it, however, until he took a second bite. 'Oh. Right. Mother's taste.' He berated himself for thinking of that and focused on the food. He didn't want to lose his appetite. It would be rude. Not to mention he couldn't possibly waste the cook's effort.

" _Giotto, why did you bring him back?_ " G. murmured. Although Giotto had said that the man doesn't understand Italian, it was better to be safe than sorry. Giotto gave him a disapproving look. " _He's one of us, G.._ " The red haired man scoffed. " _No, he's not. Not until he has proven worthy._ "

" _G., you're very harsh._ " Asari added, concern laced in his voice. " _You know why I'm saying this. You too, Giotto. You know exactly why._ "

Giotto's smile turned sad at that. He knew exactly why G. was so rigid about having a new member. Their previous ones were all but gold diggers who eventually betrayed them. It took both Daemon, Alaude and Knuckle's joint effort to bring everything back; their assets, their name, and their pride. (Ironically, they still haven't decide on a name.)

" _But G., he's real. I can assure you._ " He said, looking right into G.'s eyes. G. looked physically pained. " _You've harmonized with him._ " That brought Asari's and Lampo's attention. " _He's what? A Mist? You already have Daemon, why-_ "

" _A sky, G.. A sky._ " G.'s eyes widen. " _But-_ "

" _Felt like a Mist, doesn't he? That's correct. But he's a Sky first and foremost._ " G. sighed heavily. " _So that's why you brought him back? Because he has dual flames? Giotto-_ "

Alaude came in right at the moment before he could continue his words. He glared at the red haired man. " _Before you judge, observe first._ " He growled. Caelum, who was lost in thought as they talked jolted at his voice and turned to Alaude. He blinked at the man and smiled as Alaude sat down on his other side.

"Hey." Caelum said softly. "Hey to yourself." Alaude retorted without any heat, and Caelum didn't mind. He actually chuckled at that. Lampo inched away from his table slightly at that while Asari and G. watched in awe and curiosity respectively.

Daemon soon strode in along with a blond lady with the greenest eyes Caelum has ever seen. "Elena." Giotto stood up, smiling brightly as he greeted the lady, taking her hand and placing a ghost kiss on the back of her palm. " _It's good to see you. How are you doing?_ "

Elena giggled, smiling just as brightly. " _Likewise, Giotto. I'm doing great, thank you! I hope it's the same to all of you as well_."

" _Of course. Please, sit and join us for dinner._ " The woman laughed a little at that. " _Isn't that the plan all the time?_ " She said teasingly as Daemon guided her to sit before he himself sat down beside her. It was when she had settled on his sit that she noticed Caelum staring at her curiously. "Oh dear. I'm so sorry. I'm unaware that you're expecting a guest."

Caelum blinked a few times before opening his mouth to reply, only to snap it close with a questioning look on his face. 'Am I a guest or..? I mean, technically, I  _am_  a guest, but then again I'm going to stay here..'

Fortunately for him, Giotto had answered in his stead. "It's alright. He's our new member and will be staying with us starting from today." That? That was even worst. Maybe..? Caelum frowned a little but opted to stay silent. Elena turned to him and smiled sweetly. "Good evening. I'm Elena."

Caelum twitched a little. "Good evening to you too. I'm Caelum." He blurted out, realizing that he had been staring for too long, squeaking slightly as he did, much to his dismay. Lampo snorted silently at that while Caelum tensed up, forcefully trying to stop himself from blushing.

Elena wasn't the slightest offended. In fact, she seemed to have taken a liking on him exactly at that moment, if the shine in her eyes were anything, that is. Caelum was grateful at that as he breathed out through his nose to calm himself down. Although, Alaude probably wouldn't let him live that down given by the amused look he had donned through his normal facade. No one said about that and merely continued the meal with a few small talks here and there. It wasn't as though he could understand Italian, so Caelum simply stayed silent and watched them, eating slowly.

"Caelum," His head shot up and looked at Giotto, who seemed concerned for some reason. "Are you alright?" He tilted his head in confusion. "Yes. Why?" Giotto watched him for a moment before shaking his head. "No, nothing." The ginger wasn't exactly convinced, but decided to not press it as Giotto changed the subject.

"Elena, how's your project coming about?" The woman brighten at the mention of her project. "It was coming about very well, thanks to your help. Ah, right!" She clapped her hands together, remembering something. "The grand opening is in fortnight time, please do attend!"

Giotto grinned. "Absolutely! We'll definitely attend."

It wasn't long until all of them were finished and soon decided to call the night. Elena, of course, had decided to stay for the night as all of them retired to their respective rooms.

As Caelum slowly walked back to his room, he crossed path with G., who he had accidentally bumped into. "Oh, sorry." G. scrutinized him for a moment, not letting him pass. The ginger sweated. "Y-yes?"

"Don't even think about trying to take advantage of Giotto." G. said harshly, but his voice was low enough not to alert anyone. Caelum's eyes widen at the accusation. He sputtered incoherently, trying to explain but the red-haired man has already walked away. "I'll be watching you."

Caelum watched the man disappeared down the long hallway, eyebrows pulled together. His lips pursed as he lowered his head. 'Of course he would be wary of me. I'm merely a stranger. An outsider.' Chill ran down his spine as he took a deep breathe, turning around and heading back to his room.

Suddenly, he realized that he didn't feel belonged. (No, not yet.)

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Daemon quietly got dressed for the day, trying not to wake up his sleeping lover. It was far too early to wake her up. While he wanted to stay with her longer, he had some work left that he needed to attend before he would spend the rest of the day with her. As he moved around the bed, he spotted a figure in the garden, moving.

He raised an eyebrow, recognizing the ginger hair. The man seemed to be plucking out the grass and weeds around the flowerbed, careful not to accidentally pull the flowers out. And he wasn't wearing any gloves. Daemon shook his head at that, sighing inaudibly, though he was amused.

He moved to kiss Elena on top of her forehead before he head out. Instead of his office, he headed to the garden.

Caelum was on autopilot, mind elsewhere as his hands moved. He couldn't sleep the whole night and decided to explore the mansion, careful not to wake anyone up when he found the garden. The flowers were in full bloom, reminding him of Azura. And before he knew it, he was already by the flowerbed, crouching.

His mind was elsewhere, but there wasn't a constant topic in his mind. Everything that passed his mind was fleeting. He didn't even feel the small cut on his hand.

"You might want to wear gloves." He jerked in awareness and gasped, blinking down at his dirtied hands. He turned and saw Daemon staring at him. He doesn't seemed to be angry. If anything, he seemed amused. Caelum stood up and laughed sheepishly. "I'm sorry for.. This. I just couldn't stop myself." It has been a while since he helped Azura with the plants and flowers, but it was a force of habit. Being together with Azura did wonders to his knowledge on taking care of nature.

Really, a force of habit.

That, and he couldn't really stop himself when he saw the amount of weeds growing around the flowers.

"Oh there's no need to apologize." Daemon mused, nodding. He was pleased, somehow. "You did a great job. Elena would be pleased. She hasn't been here for quite a while now and was worried about them. Although," His voice dipped in disapproval. "You're hurt."

It was then when Caelum realized that he had not one, but several cuts on his hands. "Ah. Oh these are nothing." He tried to wave it off, but Daemon raised an eyebrow that had him deflated. "I'll bandage it up later. I promise."

Daemon hummed and stared. "You know, you're weird." Caelum tilted his head in confusion. "You've just lost your family," He flinched at the bluntness. "and gained a bond from Giotto. Anyone else would've cling onto him to replace the lost, but you didn't. You kept away. Even your flames kept away.

"You contradicts yourself." Caelum didn't know what to say and Daemon didn't expect him to answer. Instead, he circled the man, inspecting before he nodded, folding his arms. "I've decided. I'll train you."

".. Excuse me?"

"Your flames. Even if you've harmonized with Giotto and regained control over it, it is merely temporary. If you are to experience another grieve, the control will be lost again. I'll teach you how to control them,  _use_ them, even. In return, you'll aid me in my research." Daemon waved a hand as he explained. "What do you say?" He reached out a hand for the man. "Deal?"

Caelum contemplated for a moment. What Daemon said was true. He couldn't always rely on Giotto and their bond. No, it'd probably burden the blonde, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Plus, since he was going to stay here, he might as well help out. To repay them.

".. Alright. Deal." He took Daemon's hand and shook it firmly. Daemon smirked, pleased.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After more than three weeks and finally, I updated. Sorry it took so long. I was still settling my scholarship and all. And I just realized that I couldn't exactly relate to Caelum spiritually unlike Ryuuichi, which was probably why it took so long for me to vomit this out.
> 
> The italic dialogues are in Italian.
> 
> I probably won't say anything about the man in Caelum's dreams. Not yet. :3
> 
> Caelum was so shaken when he couldn't remember his dreams was because that was the first time that happened. I've said before, he has photographic memory, so he can remember everything vividly. That was the first time he couldn't.
> 
> Fun Fact= It was actually on purpose that I named Caelum's older sister as Eleanor. Because Elena.
> 
> Fun Fact= G. is protective of Giotto because, as mentioned, of all those previous spies and gold diggers. Also, because they're childhood friend. G. is actually a rich man's son, while Giotto was from the middle class. The mansion was G.'s.
> 
> Should I write about Caelum's interaction with each and one of the guardians in the next chapter? Hmmmn
> 
> Anyway, I probably won't update anytime soon, unfortunately. Sorry. I'm trying to get pass this writer's block I'm having actually. Also! KHR rare pair week! I'll be participating, of course! Its on June. Well, see you guys hopefully soon! Have a nice day! 
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling etc. etc. mistakes.]


	13. Weaving Strings

"First of all, what made you lit your flames for the first time?" Caelum blinked a few times as he sat on the sofa opposite of Daemon. He tilted his head, eyebrows furrowed. It was a good question. One he didn't know exactly how to answer.

He remembered feeling desperation and despair, along with anger and the next, Death and Judgement appeared in front of him. A moment later, he felt a surge of strength and before he knew it, he was already dominating over those people. Right, a shield. There was a shield. He wondered if he had put it up himself or if it was the two being since he has no recollection of doing so. 'Was.. Was that my flames?'

But it couldn't have been... Could it? Giotto's flames were different. Giotto's was actual flames, not a shield or anything.

He tried to make sense of it but the more he contemplated, the more confused he was. He must had taken too long trying to figure it out that Daemon could tell he was having trouble with it. So, the man changed his question. "Alright then, tell me what do you  _think_  flames are."

Caelum paused for a moment.  _Not_  what he  _knows_ , but what he  _think_  it is. Okay. ".. A mirror of someone's soul." Daemon hummed.

"I see." The ginger wasn't right, nor was he wrong as well. It's true that flames represent someone's personality in a way, but it doesn't always match. One could end up being a Storm even though they have a personality of a Rain. And it was an interesting choice of word. Soul. That was the first time Daemon had heard of it. None of the researchers had related flames to someone's soul before.

'... Perhaps he will figure out the flames more than any of us combine.' Daemon was exhilarated for what the man would achieve. "Now, try lighting it."

Caelum stared blankly at him. "...  _How_?"

"However you did it in the first place." Daemon, for a good measure, tapped the side of his head. "Do it instinctively instead of thinking. Close your eyes and try."

Caelum nodded slowly and closed his eyes. He tried to clear his mind and focused on his feelings, focus on his awareness,  _focus on himself_. He curled both his hands slowly into fist as he drowned out his surroundings, trying to pull out the flames. When he thought he had a grip on it, he tried to force it out, scowling.

He.. He couldn't.

He opened his eyes and narrowed his eyes at his hands in confusion. He tried again, trying to approach it in the same matter as Daemon told him to, but he couldn't.

"Why..?"

"Well I'm not surprised. Trying to lighting it up for the second time  _and_  maintaining it is always harder than the first since the will isn't as strong." Daemon would be lying if he say he wasn't slightly disappointed, but he had expected it. It wasn't an easy task to light it up in the first place, what more second? Well, unless they were a natural, that is. "Or," He folded his arms and leaned back onto the back rest. "perhaps you should study first. Understand more about the flames first, and then we will continue."

He stood up just as someone knocked on the door to the study room. Elena peeked in and smiled at the both of them. "Good morning!"

Caelum greeted back softly, still wondering about what Daemon had said as the Mist head over to his lover and pecked her on her forehead. "Everything written in this room is about the flames and the recent researches. Read all of it first. Don't worry. It's mostly in English." And the ginger was left alone in the room.

Caelum stared blankly at the door with his mouth slightly agape. He mechanically turned to the shelves to see scrolls and books all stacked up neatly on it. His mouth snapped shut as he scanned it. His shoulder sagged as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well,  _knowledge comes first rather than action_."

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Asari blinked and looked around the dining room, chewing on his breakfast. He swallowed and tilted his head. "Where's Caelum de gozaru?" Lambo shrugged, slumped on his chair as he yawned. "Who knows." He muttered while G grunted. "Maybe he ran away."

Asari frowned at G's hostility. He understood where the man was coming at and he wasn't going to condemn him. That would be hypocrite of him but Caelum, Asari felt like he was different. Not because of his flames, but perhaps his presence,  _his eyes_. Maybe. Asari wasn't so sure. The ginger wasn't like any of their subordinates or recruits.

Asari might be wrong, however. "I should go find him. It's not good to skip breakfast de gozaru." He said his prayers and set his cutlery down, since he had already finished his meal.

He headed down the hallway to Caelum's room, but the man wasn't there. He tilted his head and headed to Alaude's instead. From yesterday's interaction, Caelum and Alaude clearly knew each other. He wasn't there as well, neither was Alaude. The skylark was probably in a more secluded area of the mansion, as he usually did. Asari sighed. Alaude wasn't around during breakfast as well. Neither was Knuckle, Giotto, Daemon and Elena.

Knuckle and Giotto had went downtown to Talbot's shop, something about their mission while Daemon and Elena were having their date. At least he knew the four of them were going to have breakfast. He had hoped that the skylark would take care of himself more.

That was probably a useless prayer since it was Alaude he was talking about. That man was a monster in a lot of aspects. Even health.

The Japanese shook his head and walked around the mansion, seeing if he could find Caelum. It was when he was near the other end of the mansion did he felt a foreign flame in the air, faint. No, not foreign. Caelum's. He followed the flames and ended up in front of study room.

Asari hummed in curiosity as he knocked on the door. There was no answer, but he could tell that the other was inside, so he twisted the knob and pushed open the door. Stood by the shelves was one Caelum, holding onto a book as he read, clearly deep in concentration.

Those were the researches about Flames. 'He must be studying.'

Asari was almost remorseful to break him out of it.  _Almost_. "Hello." Caelum jumped and almost dropped the book. He blinked rapidly at the Japanese. "O-oh. Hi."

Asari smiled at him as he walked nearer, leaning over to see which book Caelum was reading. 'Oh. The history of civilization.' "Studying about Flames?"

Caelum returned the smile, albeit sheepishly as he nodded. "Yes. Daemon told me to. For.. Controlling my flames.." He trailed off. Asari was amused, noting how the other was holding the book with careful hands, gentle, as though he was scared to accidentally ruin it.

"Hm~ That's good de gozaru, but you shouldn't skip a meal." Caelum looked puzzled. "It hasn't start, has it?" He asked, to which Asari raised and eyebrow. "It has." How long had he being like this, standing here and read?

"Oh. I.. I didn't realize." Asari wasn't exactly impressed. He was worried. (Although, he wasn't going to deny that he was a bit amused at his reaction.)

"You should take care of yourself more, Caelum. It's not good to neglect your health de gozaru." Caelum laughed sheepishly, closing the book and placed it on the study table a few step away. "Yes. I'm sorry. I'll go eat now." Asari's lips tugged up slightly. "Good. Let's go."

As they walked to the dining room, Asari could actually feel Caelum's minuscule fidgets. "Is something wrong?" Caelum tensed up a second before relaxing. "Uh well, do you mind if I ask something?"

"No, I don't. Please, go ahead." Caelum nodded sharply, eyes shining slightly. "Where did you come from, Mister Asari?"

"Asari is find de gozaru," The man chirped. "I came from Japan." Those metallic blue eyes shone brighter in curiosity. "Japan." He sound a bit breathless, excited even. Asari was immediately reminded of those children that ran and played around in the streets. "It's oceans away, isn't it? Did it took a long time to arrive here?"

Asari chuckled, more than happy to answer the other. "Yes. It took about two months to arrive here." "Wow." Caelum kept on asking questions about Japan, the culture and everything as they walked. He didn't ask anything personal, which had Asari grateful yet intrigued.

In fact, Asari was delighted, as he heatedly explained about the Japanese culture, specifically their music. Caelum soaked in everything like a sponge as he listened. "Ah, that's right. Since you'll be staying here from now on, you'll need to learn Italian. How about I teach you both Italian and Japanese?"

Caelum's eyes widen. "I don't want to trouble you!" Asari shook his head. "No, it is no trouble at all! In fact, I'd love to teach you." Caelum hesitated for a moment before he let the grin he had been holding back took over. "Then, please teach me!"

\-------------------------------------------------------------

G had to say, that Caelum guy was a really good actor. For seven days straight, the ginger did nothing other than coping up in the study, with Alaude or Asari, or with Daemon for whatever reasons. Something about his flames, apparently. He had seen him with Knuckle and Giotto once or twice as well. The ginger, he was as distant as the rest of their subordinates to all of them guardians, minus Alaude, of course, and yet, he was..  _There_.

To G, those who lived under the same roof as they did, but weren't the guardians, had a very faint presence. Not that they weren't worth noting, just,  _more invisible_  than the rest of them, not one dared to get any closer to them than their relationship of bosses and subordinates. Caelum was just like them, but he wasn't as invisible as they were. He was, for the lack of better word,  _tangible_  in a metaphoric form.

However, G wasn't going to start trusting him just yet even though he did nothing so far. Not even when five out of seven of them guardians trusted him. (Or maybe they just believed that he could easily be dealt with if he was to do some shit.) After all, one must gain another's trust to betray them. So, in current conclusion, (because, no. It was still too early.) all G could say was that he was a really good actor.

Whilst keeping an eye on the ginger the whole week whenever he could, G had multi-tasked between looking through the legal and 'illegal' paperworks and making sure that none of the guardians did shit, including Giotto. They were having this sort of honeymoon period from any missions or work since there was a new member. Someone who all of them had a gut feeling that wouldn't be like any of their subordinates. To know the man more and get along, as Giotto had said. Which was sort of useless since it was the ginger himself that didn't approach them.

"G, a penny for your thought?" The said red haired man blinked out of his train of thoughts and squinted at the smiling blonde. He shook his head and returned his gaze to the report he was holding, casually leaning against the selves beside Giotto's table. "Nothing." He slowly raised his eyebrows as he read the report. The more he tried to process those words, the more confused he was.

He flipped to the front page and frowned at the name before flipping back to the page he had stopped reading and reread. A few seconds later, he gave up on trying to make any sense out of it and closed the report. He then promptly dropped the report in front of Giotto, the one who wrote it.

"What is this?"

Giotto hummed, not even bothering to even cast a brief glance at it as he continued reading another set of report. "A report about Talbot's mission, G."

"No shit, genius, but what's with the grammar? Also it isn't complete."

He finally looked up and placed down the papers. He leaned back, hands intertwined on top of his abdomen. "It is complete."

"Well why didn't you state what happened to the findings? What it is, and was it what Talbot wanted-" G paused and narrowed his eyes at the blonde, who wasn't fased by how G was sizing him up. He was probably desensitized by that look even though it would've sent someone else running or stuttering stupid excuses. (Mainly Lampo and some of their subordinates.) "Talbot gave it to you?"

Giotto smiled as though he was proud of how easily G could pick up pieces and put them together without any help. "Correction;  _he_  never belonged to Talbot."

G groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Of  _course_  it was that guy." (Giotto tutted at that but G didn't care.) "Why?" Giotto hummed again, pausing as he shifted slightly in his chair. "I don't know, but he must be important, if Talbot was the one who requested us to find him."

He tilted his head back, remembering how excited Talbot was. When he and Knuckle went to clarify about Caelum being what he wanted them to find, he was genuinely happy. He had said offhandedly to bring him along the next time he visits. "I don't think Talbot know who he is actually." He paused. "No. I think Talbot  _knows_  who he is, but has never seen him before."

G's nose scrunched up. "What does that even- You know what? I'm not even going to question. That old man is a weird and tricky one." Giotto laughed, agreeing. He glanced back at his childhood friend, amused. "So what do you think of Caelum after a week?"

"Too early. Don't ask." He shook his head at that as they both went back to their report, or they attempted to do so when they heard a loud wail from the other side of the mansion. The two jolted and exchanged a look. That sounded like Lampo. While G would suggest to just ignore it since it was a rather usual thing, but the teen was shouting for help.

They both ran out to the direction of the sound.

"Help!" Lampo wailed as the two burst into the room the teen was in. He was shaking, curling into a ball at a corner with tears running down his cheeks, pointing at the center of the room.

Their gaze shifted to what, or to be exact, who Lampo was pointing and froze.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Caelum rubbed the back of his head, hissing at the pain as G patched him up, Giotto smoothing one traumatized Lampo. G was grumbling, begrudgingly wrapping the other's torso in bandage. "Honestly, what the hell were you doing?"

"Ah, um." Caelum said intelligently. ".. I was trying to..  _bring_  out my flames."

"And ended up half dead on the ground bleeding?"

He laughed sheepishedly. "It's just, one of the books mentioned that stabbing yourself might force your flames out to protect yourself."

Giotto frowned at that. "You tried that? That was one of the method, yes, but that only works with Lightning. And it is actually an outdated one with less than 5 percent of success!" Caelum tried to shrug, only stopped moving when G glared at him. "You're lucky that Lampo found you or else you would be  _dead_! Don't laugh it off!"

Caelum looked down, shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry." He turned to Lampo. "I'm sorry for scaring you as well, Lampo." The said teen huffed. "You owe me one!"

Caelum smiled, nodding. "Yes." G grumbled even more in Italian. " _Why are you so stupid_?" Caelum pursed his lips for a moment before he lighted up, understanding what the other said. "Oh- I admit I didn't exactly think it through."

All of them paused. "Wait you understand what he just said?" Lampo's eyes were wide as they stared at the ginger. Caelum, upon noticing that all their attention was on him, tried to make himself smaller, hunching slightly. "Yes. I've been studying Italian with Asari."

The teen narrowed his eyes at Caelum, leaning away slightly. "Then do you understand this?  _When Knuckle and Alaude met for the first time they had a brawl for two days straight with no winner._ " He said it quickly. The ginger furrowed his eyebrows, muttering each word in English once before he finally finished processing the sentence and understood. He gaped. "Wait what? Really?"

"Oh my god!" Lampo shrieked. "Just- How?!" Giotto laughed while G groaned at the lost. He no longer could insult the ginger in front of him. A real shame, but that wouldn't stop him from calling out on him in his face, however. G doesn't care after all. "You sure are a fast learner, Caelum." The said man hummed. "I guess?"

"B-b-but a week! I took  _two_   _years_  before I could even communicate fluently in Japanese!"

"That's because you're dumb." G deadpanned but all of them could tell that there was no heat in it. "Hey!" Lampo said indignantly. G ignored him as he finished wrapping the bandage and patted harshly on the spot of the wound deliberately. "Next time, don't do stupid things, got it?"

Caelum winced at that, a hand protectively placed over the spot. "Yep. Got it. Thank you." G grunted and left. When he passed by Giotto, he muttered lowly into his ears. "I still don't like him."

He didn't need to turn to see Giotto shaking his head at him exasperatedly, he could  _feel_  it, but he didn't care. It was true that he still doesn't trust Caelum, but Caelum was an idiot. Idiot enough to inflict injuries on  _himself_  for the sake of- what? Trying to find his flames? Just so he could control it? (Daemon had told all of them with something akin to glee. Why was he that excited, no one knows, and no one wanted to find out.)

G felt that Caelum was the similar kind of idiot to Giotto and their red-haired friend. No, he wasn't going to trust him yet, but there was progress regarding that. G smiled to himself as he walked back to their office.

He was actually looking forward to it.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

"Oi." Caelum jumped and whirled around, clutching the book to his chest and back to the shelves, breathing heavily. He sighed in relief when he realized it was only G, shoulders relaxing. "You scared me." G raised an eyebrow, amused nonetheless, and scoffed slightly. "You're just too lost in your own brain to hear me. 'Scuse me."

"Oh! Sorry." The ginger moved away and G started looking through the scrolls and books, each one labeled. He paused when he couldn't find the book he was looking for and shifted his gaze to the one Caelum was holding. He squinted his eyes at that. "How many books have you gone through already?"

Caelum looked up at the taller man and blinked. "Uhm.. Including this, 59 books and 80 scrolls?" G's eyes widen. "Including the multiple books on History of Civilization and the War?"

"Yes."

"... Just how fast do you read?" Caelum laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly as he shrugged. G pursed his lips. "Nevermind. Let me see that for a second." He took the book from the ginger who handed it over and started flipping through it.

"... What did you work as before?" He asked, not because he was curious or anything. No, he was just checking his background. Yep. Caelum, unfased and hummed as he plucked out another book from the shelves. "I helped out in my father's shop. He was a blacksmith."

G paused in his reading at the past tense. "Was..?" Caelum winced, smiling wryly, eyes dimming. "Yes. Was. He-...." He took a deep breath and continued before G could even stopped him. "He was murdered, along with the rest of my family. My two younger sisters and I were the only survivor."

"... I'm sorry about that."

"Oh there's no need to be." His metallic blue eyes met red eyes. "There was nothing anyone could do about it." G scowled and closed the book. With one free hand, he grabbed the collar of the ginger's shirt and pulled him close, snarling. "I know that you're an idiot, but I don't know you were this  _stupid_. What 'there's nothing anyone could do about it'? Bullshit! Death is an option!"

"It isn't!" Caelum yelled, cutting him off. "It isn't an option. It  _wasn't_. They were fated to die there! There was nothing I could do about it because Fate decided that their time ends there!" Pain and sorrow and anger, all present in his eyes as ghost tears welled up at the edge of it.

"Then that means you didn't fight hard enough!" Something flashed in Caelum's eyes and he pushed G away, ripping his hand off his collar. "How do a mere human fight Fate?!"

"Stop using Fate as an excuse for your sorry ass!" G's voice boomed, resonating and vibrating, harshly and loudly. "What kind of fairy tale mind do you have?! Fate?! I say that's all because you didn't want to admit that you are weak!"

"Shut up! You know nothing!"

"Yeah, I don't! I don't know anything, but that doesn't mean that you can use that kind of crap for your short-coming! What kind of twisted pride is that?! Where is your honor?! Where is your honor towards your family?! Stop shaming your late family members!"

Words were stuck in Caelum's throat as droplet of water flowed down his cheeks. "Saying that they die because of Fate is just as saying that they didn't fought hard for their lives!"

Caelum choked as he slid down onto the ground. He dropped the book he was holding and buried his face in his hands, sobbing. He hated how G was right, hated how G could saw through him so easily. For his own sanity, for his own sake, he had dismissed how they had fought for their lives and their loved ones. He was so weak. Compare to all of them, anyone at all, he was so weak.

He should've fought harder.

He should have denied Fate.

He should have been stronger, for their sake.

He should be stronger, to never let it happen again.

_I'm sorry_.

G scoffed at the pitiful sight and was about to leave when he saw the flames. His eyes widen at the flames that somehow surrounded the ginger, Misty Sky, protecting yet not. He pulled his lips thin. 'So that was why he couldn't light up his flames. He was suppressing them unconsciously because he was in denial.'

Sighing, G crouched down and patted him on his head. "Grow stronger, fight for them, fight for yourself,  _fight for us_." Caelum sniffled and nodded, scrubbing his face. G twitched at that and bonked his head hard, eliciting a yelp. "Go wash your face!"

Caelum rubbed his head, tears stopped from the pain and nodded. He unsteadily pushed himself up and wobbled out of the room, heading to the bathroom. G stood up and sighed again. 'Well, at least he's pure enough.' He shook his head and continued reading.

Alaude stared up the sky, watching the clouds rolls by as he sat on the roof, a hand over a knee. He had heard their conversation, could feel the steadily calmer flames from Caelum. He closed his eyes.

\------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey." Caelum blinked and turned to see Alaude coming towards him, his hand around his mug filled with tea. He smiled at the beige-haired man, eyes returning to his tea, watching the steam disperse as Alaude took a seat opposite of him, arms propped on the table.

"Why are you still awake?" Alaude asked, indifferent as he observed, the last bit of tension on Caelum's face disappeared. "I could ask the same to you, honestly." The ginger chuckled. When Alaude gave him a pointed look, he shook his head slightly. "I can't sleep." He looked off distantly. "I've been... Thinking. Lucien."

Alaude stayed silent, leaving the air empty for the younger man to continue. He knew that Caelum had looked up to his brother silently even if he doesn't say, knowing the soft, fond look he gave to Lucien, the genuine happiness as they bantered and teased each other. If watching his family killed tore him apart, not knowing what had Lucien said during his dying breath must be killing him.

"You know, when I was younger, when no one would play with me or Uncle wasn't around, he would take me on many adventures. Well," Caelum laughed a little to himself. "If you count pissing the baker off as an adventure." He remembered running from the angry baker, Lucien tugging and pulling at his hand so that they could outrun the man, laughing loudly and obnoxiously. They were scolded, of course, but it was fun.

"When things got boring, he would make it interesting, sometimes scary. I loved playing with him even though we didn't always have the chance. When I was sad, he was always the first to realize if Uncle hadn't. He would try his best to cheer me up, and he always did at the end of the day, reducing me into nothing but a laughing mess.

"He... He was the closest person I could open up to after Uncle. And now.." He closed his eyes, lowering his head. "... You know, I wondered what he was thinking of when he died. I wondered if he was happy with his life, if he had any regrets."

His voice cracked slightly.

"I hoped-  _wished_ \- he didn't have any. I wished none of them have any. Leaving a life with regrets sounds... Sad." He pursed his lips and sigh. "Well, I shouldn't mope, should I? I don't think he would want to see that- any of them actually." He smiled wryly. "I just miss all of them a lot."

Alaude said nothing. He didn't need to, since he knew the ginger himself had the answer. He nodded instead and Caelum grinned.

"Hey Alaude? Thank you."

"... Anytime."

\---------------------------------------------------------

Daemon had a surprise the moment he stepped into his study, where Caelum had been for the past two weeks, studying. A pleasant surprise. He folded his arms as he smirked from the doorway, flames danced playfully on Caelum's fingertips, orange-indigo. He had almost thought that the younger man would take more than a month, but apparently not.

Caelum turned to him, unfased by his sudden appearance even though he was in a sort of trance while watching his flames. Daemon noticed that his metallic blue eyes were glinting, that he seemed to have gotten pass a mountain inside him.

His lips tugged up an inch more, baring his teeth.

"Well, then. Shall we get to the next step?" The glint in his eyes glowed brighter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost two months. Ugh. Kill me. This chapter is actually written with the idea of wanting Caelum to slowly get to know the others. But this happened. Oh well, at least I got him to interact with them. (My brain is slowly dying rn egah.)
> 
> Fun Fact= 'Knowledge comes first rather than action' is what Caelum's uncle had said before.
> 
> I really don't know what else to add here HAHA- *Slapped*
> 
> I'm gonna hit a major timeskip to maybe two years later in the next chapter? I'm still not sure two or three years. A certain redhead might show himself~~ :3c
> 
> Soo--- This chapter concludes as the first arc then. I think.
> 
> If there's anything that you guys don't understand feel free to ask!! Updates will still be slow though!! [I'm legit not editing this chapter arrghh]
> 
> **Edit: I knew I had forgotten something.**  
>  Fact= Currently, Caelum's 21. Knuckle's 24, Daemon and Alaude are 23, Giotto and G are 22, Asari's 21 and Lampo's 19.
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	14. Cozarto Shimon

The sun was high and scorching in the empty blue sky, a handful of clouds rolling by slowly. It was hot, one of the hottest summer they had in years, in fact. It didn't help even if one was under a shade but it was nothing to Giotto and G as they chatted in a restaurant. Giotto was excited, lips wide as he chattered animatedly and while G wasn't as enthusiastic, he was just as eager as his childhood friend was.

They were both waiting for an friend from a part of the Northern Italy who came down to visit. Each time someone passed through the door, they would perk up to see if it was their friend, but it wasn't each time. Until, they did, that is.

"Sorry! I was caught up at the dock." A red head ducked into the cafe, donned in his usual black cap and a white button down, a jacket and a traveller's bag in hand. Giotto brighten at the sight and stood up, greeting him halfway. "Cozarto! It's been a while!" He pulled the man into a hug, patting him at the back. 

Cozarto laughed and returned the hug with same excitement as G shook his head, Giotto ushering him to sit. "Good to see you again, Cozarto."

"Yes yes! It's very good to see you guys again. How long was it? Two or three years?"

“Two.” G drawled, leaning his cheek against a hand propped up on the table. “Two years since you went for the trip.” Cozarto sounded breathless at that, not believing that it had been two years. “How did it go anyway?”

“Oh it went well, for a part.”

Giotto raised an eyebrow. “For a part?”

“Yes.” Cozarto took off the cap and ran a hand through his hair. “I met up with my family, all of them- extended or not, and found out that-“ He paused and looked around the room before he continued, lowering his voice. He switched into Japanese instead. “ _That they all have similar flames to mine_.” He leaned back slightly as a waiter came to their table and he ordered a cup of coffee.

“ _Of course, it’s not exactly the same to mine, but you know what I mean. And they are not the flames of skies_.”

G and Giotto exchanged a look. Giotto nodded slightly. “ _So new flames, then_.” Cozarto nodded. “In a way.”

“’In a way’?” G piped up.

“I don’t think its new flames. The first flames of skies dated back to the start of civilization, right? That was why people would regards the royal families as Gods or descendants of Gods. I think the flames that ran in my family is no different, because my mother had mentioned offhandedly about seeing my great grandparents doing magical stuffs before.”

“Oh- wow.” Giotto managed out. “We better tell Caelum about this, then.”

Cozarto tilted his head at that. “’Caelum’?”

G sighed. “A new member of ours. He joined two years ago, a month or two after you went on your trip.”

“Yes. He’s currently leading the research on Flames.” Cozarto’s eyes squinted slightly. “I thought Daemon and Alaude are the ones who are leading it?”

“They were, still are actually. Alaude deals with travelling and finding stuffs most of the time, while Daemon deals with people. Caelum pieces everything together.” G huffed as though it pained him to say it, but they knew that he was simply putting up an act. They paused for a moment when Cozarto’s drink came before continuing when the waiter left. “He’s very good at it.” He begrudgingly admitted.

As soon as he finished reading all the books and scrolls they had and managed to control his flames, Daemon had Caelum helping with his research while teaching him tricks he could do with his flames. Alaude, on the other hand, dragged him into undercover missions whenever he could (to gain experience, he said, but it was more like to dominate his time whenever he felt that he and Caelum didn't have much time together). He had taught him self-defences as well.

It was a feat to witness the three of them working together. Well, rarely Daemon and Alaude, but yeah.

“Wow.” Cozarto laughed. “I’m looking forward to meet him now.”

“Oh you’ll like him.” G scoffed, taking a sip on his drink.

“Anyway, why did you say ‘for a part’?”

Cozarto pursed his lips slightly. “Well, I had to reign in my family to make sure none of them spoke of the flames to anyone outside the family. Also because of a box of lost heirlooms that probably has connection with the flames.”

“What?!”

He sighed heavily. “It was from my ancestors, or so I’ve heard. No one know what it was since none could open the box. And somehow, my grandfather decided to sell it sometime years back.”

“So what are you going to do?”

Cozarto shrugged, drinking his coffee. “That’s a very good question.” He leaned back against the back rest, sighing deeply. “I’ve been searching for leads, but nothing so far other than knowing that whoever they sell it to are Italians.”

“Do you need our help?”

He shook his head. “No, thank you. It’s alright. It can wait, actually.” He smiled. “I’m sure you’re pretty busy dealing with the government, aren’t you?”

G choked and laughed while Giotto grimaced at that. “Don’t- just, don’t.”

Cozarto raised an eyebrow, amused. “Why?” Giotto rubbed his temple. “They are…. Insatiable.” Cozarto blinked in confusion as they sat in silence, letting what Giotto had just said sink. It took two full minutes before it finally clicked and Cozarto burst out laughing.

“Oh my god, Giotto!” The blonde covered his face with his hands and groaned into it. “Stop.” He said weakly.

“You- you seduced them! I didn’t know what I was expecting but this- oh god-“ Cozarto slapped his leg, wheezing.

“Cozarto!! I did not seduce them! T-they-“

“Well, although they were the one who dropped hints of wanting to bed you, you did seduced them, Gio.”

“You’re not helping, G!”

\-------------------------------------------

Caelum twitched at the words he was writing, his hand slightly smudged with ink. It wasn’t making any sense. Well of course it wasn’t. It was a strange combination of English, Italian and French. 

Caelum sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He placed away the ink and pen away properly before closing the book. Why did he even think of starting a journal in the first place? He was regretting it.

Not to mention he still haven’t finish the research on the side effect of the usage of too much flames at one go.

“I need a break.” He mumbled. He really do need one. He had been at it since way before the break of dawn, having to start writing and researching at the same time as he couldn’t sleep. Two nights. Two consecutive sleepless nights.

“Shut up, brain.” He huffed. Too many thoughts running in his mind, piecing nonsensical things together for no particular reason. Like, why was he even thinking of hypothetical things like what if he pumps flames into a gun or whatsoever.

….

Actually, that was a good idea. He noted it down mentally to find an opportunity to test it.

But for now, he need a breather.

He sighed and pushed himself up, heading out of the room, only to have a maid stumbling back slightly, hands raised to knock the door. Caelum blinked and quickly apologized. “I’m so sorry, are you alright?”

“Y-yes.” The maid stuttered slightly, reeling herself back. “Master Giotto is calling for you.”

Caelum raised an eyebrow. Usual of Giotto to ask a maid to find him instead of coming himself. ‘Oh, right. He mentioned that about guest, didn’t he?’ He scratched the back of his neck. “His office?” The maid nodded. “Okay, thank you.” She smiled and bowed at him slightly before leaving.

Caelum rubbed the back of his neck as he breathed out through his nose. He closed the door behind him and headed down the hall to Giotto’s office. He paused when he was about to knock the door, raising an eyebrow.

Their guest has quite a peculiar flame. He didn’t know what it was, but it felt.. Nice? Well at least he wouldn’t have to worry about them, whoever they are.

He shook his head and knocked the wooden door before turning the knob. “You called?” He asked as he blinked, surprised to see Giotto and a red-haired man, not G, drinking by the couch.

“Ah, Caelum! Come, come!” He let the door swing shut itself and moved closer, the red-haired standing as Giotto introduced them. “Caelum, this is Cozarto. Cozarto, this is Caelum.”

Something sparkled in his maroon eyes, as they shook their hands firmly. “So you’re the Caelum that I’ve been hearing. Nice to meet you, I’m Cozarto, Shimon.”

“Likewise, _signore_ Shimon. I’m Caelum.” If they noticed that he didn’t mention his last name, no one mentioned about it. Cozarto waved his hand, laughing as they ushered him to sit on the couch beside Giotto. “Oh just call me Cozarto. I’ve a feeling that I’ll be seeing you quite a lot after all.”

‘You don’t say..’ Caelum nodded nonetheless.

“Cozarto is the one who gave me the idea of starting this organization.”

“My goodness, Giotto! You still haven’t pick a name? I thought you did, from what you implied in the previous letter!”

Giotto flushed, laughing sheepishly. “I’ve some ideas, but I haven’t exactly decided which yet.”

Cozarto faked a heavy sigh before he turned to Caelum. “This guy here is really bad with names, you know? I remembered that he wanted to name my dog after a gun.”

“Hey, Gunhead is a great name!”

“How is _Gunhead_  a good name?”

“It is!” Caelum couldn’t help but laughed at their interaction, completely relaxed onto the couch. (He would definitely get along with Cozarto just as well as with Giotto alright.) The two friends exchanged a look at that before they both laughed as well. Cozarto shook his head, smiling. "I really miss this." Giotto nodded, sharing the same sentiment easily. The two of them had met years back, having to leave some money for the poor Paolo secretly together, only to have Giotto returning it to him. They both had similar sense of justice, which was why they got along so well. 

Before Giotto's organization started, it was only Giotto, G and Cozarto, all three fighting for the villagers' justice and place, for peace. 

Caelum could feel that he had missed something, but he felt that he was intruding a personal session between them as well. He tried to make himself invisible, which he probably could but he hadn't exactly succeed, but they still remembered that he was there. He listened as they continued to talk about things that few over his head until he couldn't help it but blurted out, "Sorry but what kind of flames do you have?"

Both Giotto and Cozarto paused and gave him a look, Giotto leaning more towards amused rather than surprised. Like he had somehow expected Caelum to ask that question. Caelum wondered if the two of them have some sort of telepathy because Cozarto merely has to take one look at Giotto and realization flitted in his eyes.

“Sure.” Cozarto chirped cheerily and shifted slightly, closing his eyes. Caelum was taken aback slightly at the sudden change because why didn’t the man just tell him, why would he need to show him- oh. _Oh_.

Caelum’s breath hitched when he felt the air shift, slightly heavier, the ozone he constantly feels around Giotto becoming denser, but none of it felt uncomfortable. He watched with wide eyes as red orbs met his, glowing, compass gravitating all his attention towards the redhead. He could feel himself gaping slightly, but he couldn’t stop himself, neither could he take his eyes off the man.

He felt as thought everything around him was, _more concrete_ , _there_. That everything was pulled in by Cozarto, that _everything else was nothing compare to the Gravity in his eyes._

Then, Cozarto blinked. Caelum snapped out of his trance almost instantly, everything returning to normal (Normal? _Nothing_ is normal here.) He breathed in deeply, not realizing that he wasn’t exactly breathing and slumped back onto the sofa. When did he move further in front? He didn’t know.

“.. Wow.” Giotto laughed from his stomach, clearly in glee but Caelum didn’t know why. Nothing made sense for a moment. Cozarto gave the blond an exasperated look as he shook his head, a smile still present on his face.

“.. What just happened?”

“Nothing happened.” Cozarto said truthfully. “You were just being pulled in by my flames.” Caelum's nose scrunched up at that before he shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut. Then he snapped them open. "Oh-  _Oh_." He looked up, metallic blue eyes shining. "You are the- the unknown flame's bearer." 

This time, Cozarto was surprised. "What?" He gave Giotto a stink eye immediately. "You guys wrote down about it?" Giotto coughed and raised both of his hands, a huge grin still present on his lips. "Not me, G suggested it."

" _You_  allowed it." The smile just stretched wider as the blond didn't deny. Before Cozarto could even say anything else to his friend, the ginger snatched his attention.

"Have you named it?" 

Cozarto hummed, shaking his head. "My family members have similar flames to mine, but different as well like the Flames of Sky, which none is named yet. Although," He looked at Giotto. "Giotto and I decided to call it Flames of the Earth." 

Caelum nodded, mouthing the name. "Flames of the Earth. It suits it." 'Similar, yet different from the Flames of the Sky.' He liked it. Intrigued, he continued to ask Cozarto about the rest of the Flames of Earth, very much interested in it given by how he sat in such an alert manner.

Giotto watched by the side, happy to see Caelum's guard dropping little by little for Cozarto. The red head is a great man, trustworthy, even. Caelum had this short of unconscious habit where he puts up an invisible wall towards unfamiliar person, saying lesser and lesser, getting quieter than he was before. It was probably from when he was younger and although it was a good self-defence of sort, Giotto wished to see him more open and less conservative. 

He wanted him to open up to people other than their tightly knitted circle. Perhaps, one day, Caelum would have someone else to trust should they all no longer fits the category. (He knew, _knows,_  that that wouldn't happen, but he couldn't help but fear for Caelum. For  _them_  all.) Besides, it was a good sign if Caelum opened up easily to someone. It usually meant that the person is trustworthy. Caelum had that sort of instinct in him that was similar yet different from Giotto's. (Weaker, however.)

He smiled ( _He prayed_ ), for these peaceful days to continue to the end of the day ( _for the bond between all of them never breaks_ ).

Universe is never so kind, is it?

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Caelum looked at Giotto as though he had just grown another head. "You want me to go to a ball."

Giotto, amused, gave him an affirmative, to which Caelum couldn't make sense of. For the pass two years, whenever there was an invite to any sort of ball or party, Giotto wouldn't tell him to go,  _ask_  he would, but never  _tell_. He never went, always rejected it as being in a room with strangers never really appealed him. (At least, during Eleanor's wedding, he had somewhat known those who had went.) However, as of that moment, Giotto was telling him to go.

"Why?"

Giotto pursed his lips, eyes glazing slightly. It was either someone told him to, or a sign that it was his intuition that was acting up. Something was probably going to happen if that was the case, and Caelum needed to be there for whatever reason that is. Caelum sighed, resigned. He knew by now that it was better to go with the flow than against it, knew better than defying Giotto's crazily accurate intuition.

"Alright." He ruffled his hair, messy at it already is. Cozarto, who was drinking the vodka at the side tipped it over and swallowed all in one shot. That didn't reassure Caelum if that was the reaction Cozarto would give on the topic of the ball.

"Don't worry. It should be tame, this one. Since the Giglio Nero is the host." 

Not reassuring at all

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Alaude took one look at how stiff Caelum was with his crooked tie and shook his head. "What are you doing?" He asked as he reached over and loosen the tie, tying it again for the younger man. Caelum jerked at that and laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He was regretting slightly on agreeing, but there was nothing he could do. The last time he didn't believe in how accurate Giotto's intuition was was also the time he almost died. 

And apparently, Alaude wasn't happy that Caelum had to participate, more so he himself actually, but he knew better as well. Caelum had never seen Alaude been angry yet silent about something. "Have you been to these kind of events before?"

"Unfortunately." The ginger couldn't help but chuckle as Alaude swiftly pulled at the tie, letting it stay snug under the collar yet loose enough for him to feel comfortable. "Thanks." It was perfect, the tie. "Is it fun?"

"Define  _fun_." Alaude grumbled and crossed his arms, leaning back and gazing sideways into the forest. "It was irritating." He twitched at the memory. There were too many stuck-up rich people, too many who thought that they are anyhow stronger than any of them, than  _him_. It annoyed him to no end, but it was always satisfying when he- all of them- proved them wrong. 

"... You scare them away, don't you?"

He merely flashed him a smirk, to which Caelum sighed in exasperation. "Well, since everyone avoids you, I guess I'll have to stick to you then. Or else you will be lonely." He teased, which earned him a bonk in the head. "Hey!"

Alaude rolled his eyes, amused, nonetheless. "I wouldn't be surprise. You are very awkward alone after all." Caelum pouted at him. He didn't rebut as it was the truth. Not that he wanted to, when they had already reached the destination where the rest were waiting for them. Alaude had decided to drag Caelum away last minute and delayed their time til the point where Giotto and the others had to leave first, leaving the small carriage for them both. (Honestly, Caelum didn't know why. They didn't even do anything but walked one whole round through the mansion before leaving.)

"There you are!" 

He perked up at that, seeing Knuckle by the door. He was alone, the rest of the guardians probably in the mansion already. Knuckle huffed in exasperation as they got out of the carriage. Caelum laughed sheepishly, not knowing how to explain. It wasn't as though he needed to anyway. Knuckle had long know that there was no point in trying to force a reason out from Alaude. Not like Alaude was even going to answer.

The ginger patted Knuckle on the back lightly, changing his focus. "Shall we head in? We  _are_  already late." Knuckle turned to the younger man and huffed, nodding. "Yes. It's best not to stall this anymore to the ultimate." He paused, frowning slightly. "... You have to be introduced to the Donna of Giglio Nero." He didn't like that idea at all, but it was what they need to do. The Giglio Nero Donna had hinted it when they greeted her. Giotto wasn't opposing, however. 

Caelum blinked. "Why?"

"I've no idea to the ultimate. Let's go." Caelum hesitated for a moment. He knew that the ball they were participating weren't hosted by some mere group of businessmen and women, no. Mafia. While he had a vague idea of why Giotto would make himself- and the whole group- known to the underground world, it didn't mean that he liked it. (A warning to them all, apparently, that should any of them touch those who he protects, there would be heavy consequences.)

He followed after the priest, taking a deep breath, only for it to be blown away. Everything was beautiful, from the marble tiles to the internal architecture to the chandeliars handing from the high ceiling. It wasn't as though he had never seen such amazing places but it never fail to astonish him each time. Not to mention that every place he went had their own charm.

"Good evening,  _signore_."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyyyyy it's been such a long time. I'm finally free from writer's block AND college. It was... One hell of a semester orz.
> 
> *squints at chapter* I hate this chapter. I'm going to post it out of spite. I just keep noticing plot holes *whine* It's going to be a mess if I were to go and correct it. ==ll
> 
> Anyways, I might be updating frequently now. Since its holidays now, and I'm actually doing nanowrimo! Day 6 and I'm 3k behind. I'm dying.
> 
> ~~I'm actually writing the next chapter as of the moment so it might be out soon :3c~~
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys enjoy and have a good day!
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


	15. Sepira, Pillars and Vindice

"Good evening,  _signores_." A woman greeted them, confidence clear in her strides as she walked up to them. Sauntered, actually. Knuckles bowed at the lady, in respect instead of in submission. Alaude merely nodded at her, which was something because Alaude does not  _nod_  to a lot of people. (They could all count with just one hand the number of people Alaude willingly nod to.) "Good evening, Donna Sepira."

Her eyes twinkled in amusement.

“Signore Knuckle, Signore Alaude, it has been quite a while, hasn’t it?” She then turned to Caelum and smiled pleasantly. Caelum bit his inner cheeks, noticing something different about her. Her flames? No, it wasn’t just that. He just couldn’t put a finger to it.  ~~ _It was familiar_.~~  “And you must be Signore Caelum.” She held out her hand. “Nice to finally meet you, I’m Sepira, Donna of Giglio Nero and an avid supporter of Giotto’s organization.”

Caelum nodded slowly and took her hand, placing a quick peck on the back of her palm. “I’m Caelum.” He introduced again just for the sake of it. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” Sepira laughed as they retracted their hand, Caelum getting stiffer each second. “Oh, don’t be so formal, please!” Her eyes twinkled again. “I’m sure we will get along well. Any trusted man of Don Giotto’s is a friend.”

… Okay did Giotto mentioned about him before?

“A-as you wish.” He murmured, eyebrows furrowing. Sepira stared at him a little longer, all but giving him the vibes that she knew something that he doesn’t. It was slightly unnerving. “Please follow me.” She said, quieter, much more serious as she turned, not giving him a chance to ask. “Alone, please.” Her eyes shifted to Alaude and Knuckle, the former looking annoyed while the latter was concerned.

Caelum pursed his lips and turned to them. At a nod from Knuckle, he hurried after the woman, weaving pass the crowd with practical ease.

Knuckle sighed and ruffled his hair. “That was scary to the ultimate.” He laughed slightly to himself. “I wonder what does she wants with Caelum.” He mumbled. He wasn’t worried that the ginger would be killed by the woman, who was very much capable of doing so. No. He was more worried of what she would tell him.

Sepira, it was known to their close circle that she was a Seer. A Shaman.

He turned to Alaude, sweating at how narrowed his eyes were at the direction they left. “Hey, he’ll be fine.” Alaude huffed and walked away. Knuckle sighed and shook his head. “God please lend me your patience…” He muttered and looked around to find the other guardians.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

“Signore Caelum.” Sepira paused and chuckled. “My apologies. It’s really good to finally meet you, Historian.”

Caelum’s eyes widen at the title and narrowed them, lips pulling thin as he tensed. He had mentioned about his title to  _no one_. Not even Alaude knew of it. After that incident, after that day, he had not heard of it. Until Sepira, that is. Just,  _how_?

“… What do you mean?”

She leaned against the balcony, swirling the glass of wine she had somehow took from one of the butlers. “You know what I mean, Mister Historian.” She sounded teasing yet she wasn’t. Not when her piercing eyes never left Caelum’s. Unnerving.

“How did you know of that name?”

She hummed, contemplating for a moment. “A dream.”

“I’m sorry?”

She walked closer to him, leaning in. “A dream,” She repeated quietly, as though whispering a secret. “I saw you, years back, in a dream. I saw you there, gaining the power from the Gods above, gaining the title.” Caelum breathed in shakily, reminded of the past as she backed away slightly, still close but not too close. Nowhere comfortable but better.

“Who  _are_  you?”

She smiled of knowing, of secrets and of intelligence. She turned to the ballroom instead, watching her guests mingle and dance, seeing her allies and foes under one roof, seeing the multiple chaos that they will undergo. “A nobody.”

“I doubt that.” Caelum murmured. “Why do you need?”

Sepira gazed back at him again. “I need you to guard the pillars, mainly the pillar of Time.” He frowned. “I remembered Them mentioning pillars, but what are they?”

“Tri-Ni-Sette.” She sounded as though she was muttering a prayer, sacred. “The three foundation that protects Earth, that holds up Earth; Space, Time and Dimensions. Each one exists as one and all, different yet same, neither the same nor different entities they are. Each one with a specific guard. They are but the last three after all…” The last bit was murmured under her breathe, silent, incoherent.

“You are to watch over Time, watch over its guardians, just as you watch over the rest.”

Caelum nodded slowly. “And who are the guardians?”

She smiled, albeit wry. “You know them.” Caelum squinted before groaning aloud. He wondered if Fate loved to toy with him, because that definitely couldn’t be a coincidence. ‘Why is it  _always_  them?’ “Well, that makes things easier…”

“Does it, now?”

“Nope, definitely not.”

Sepira laughed genuinely. Caelum, curious, asked who were the ones who watches over Space and Dimensions. “I’m in charge of Dimensions, oh yes.” Her ring, the one on her middle finger with a pair of wings glinted, glowing. Her eyes were sad, however when she mentioned of Space. “Space- The Arcobaleno, actually,” Caelum mouthed the word with a raised eyebrow. “Is watched over by a friend.” A  _family_  was what she never said.

A  _brother_ was what burned in her mind, at the back of her throat.

Caelum could tell that she was hiding many things, weakness, perhaps. Or perhaps not, who knows? He wasn’t going to ask that either. She would tell him if she wanted to. It wasn’t his place to know of that. So, he merely nodded, looking into the ballroom, eyes finding the ones that came close as his second family now. (Alaude met his gaze just as easily as before despite being at the opposite end. They stared before he moved from the wall, walking to where he was.)

“Caelum,” He glanced at her. “Don’t look back anymore.” He smiled for the first time that night, wry. “I could say the same to you.” ( _Hypocrisy screamed in the back of his mind, and he had no excuses to deny that_.)

He turned on his heels and left, moving into the sea of human and meeting up Alaude halfway.

Sepira watched as his disappeared into the crowd. Nostalgia was all she could think, of her brothers and sisters, of them together, happy despite the mundane beginning. Nostalgia was all she could feel, of the familiarity Caelum has.

“Your nephew is so much like you. Uncanny.” She chuckled as she sipped on her wine, bittersweet, gazing up the night sky.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Caelum stared at Giotto and Cozarto with a deadpanned look on his face. They were drunk even with their usual poker face save for the red highlights on their cheeks. His lips pulled thin. G was so exasperated but he himself was drinking his brain out as well. Clearly, his tolerance for alcohol is stronger than the other two. They were chattering with other guests, all none too fazed by that, used to it.

“I’m leaving.” Just before he could even escape, G swung a heavy arm around his shoulder and dragged him to the crowd. “Now now, don’t leave me alone with these drunkards.”

“You’re a drunk yourself, G.”

“Oh!” Giotto exclaimed, eyes brightening at the sight of the ginger. “Caelum! How’s your talk with Sepira?” He bumbled- actually  _bumbled_  over to him. Caelum smiled painfully, amused, concerned and hysteric. “It went okay.” He plucked reached over to take the glass away from Giotto, who growled at him in return. He sighed and raised both of his hand. It wasn’t as though he never tried to stop him.

“Good! Good!” There was a bit resemblance of sober in his orange eyes before it was gone. Caelum just  _knew_  Giotto knew what they were talking about. There was no way that man doesn’t know, with his stupidly sharp intuition and Sepira was probably the one who asked Giotto to bring him.

He huffed. He would have to talk about it with Giotto soon. Preferably in private and the older man not drunk, he sweated.

“Cozarto,” Giotto slurred, slumping heavily on the red-haired man. “I’ve just thought up of a good name for our organization!”

Caelum felt G stiffen. “Vongola!” Giotto cheered out, toasting with a wide grin. “We shall name ourselves Vongola! Protecting our own and shielding them from danger! The shell!” G groaned, rubbing his temple as their small little audience cheered along, clearly having fun.

“Really, Giotto?  _Clams_?!” Caelum snorted at how incredulous G sounded. “It’s a good name, right Cozarto?” The said man laughed, nodding. “Very symbolic. I like it.” His red eyes, glinted in amusement. G groaned louder, leaning harder onto Caelum.

“Then Shimon shall follow Vongola, be the shadow and aid should there be any. Till the end of time.” Cozarto toasted.

Giotto smiled so happily, so proudly that it looked painful. “Vongola to Shimon as well, we shall protect and lend a helping hand- or two, a dozen maybe- when there’s a need for it. Till the end of time.” Their glasses clinked loudly, sealing their fate with an oath forever to be unbroken, an oath of eternity.

Caelum smiled.

\--------------------------------------------------------

Caelum wandered around the town, quiet and silent as all the villagers had slept. All of the lights were out saved for a few lamps, burning slowly and providing the small amount of light. It was peaceful, compare to its usual hustle and bustle. A little lifeless. He shook his head, knowing that it wouldn’t be so in a few more hours.

He yawned, covering his mouth as he did. He harrumphed. Even if he yawned, he wasn’t the slightest sleepy. No, he was far too awake, too energetic. Not that he cared, even if he would probably suffer in the afternoon. He sat on the wooden bench beside the fountain. Rubbing the back of his neck, cold, he looked up the night sky, stars hiding with only the moon shining down on him.

Beautiful.

Huffing, he leaned against his elbows on his thighs, hands intertwined together. “How long do you intend to follow me?”

The atmosphere was stale and tense and cold, and a black hole appeared, a few feet from where he was. A tall man – creature? – stepped out with an infant with a top hat on his shoulder, both bandaged from top to bottom. ‘Mummies?’ He wondered.

The infant chuckled – not an actual babe, definitely. He sounded cold-blooded, heartless. He sounded like someone who saw too much, went through far more. “Good evening, Mister Caelum.”

Caelum squinted his eyes and sighed. What was with people and them knowing his name? “Who are you?”

“Bermuda Von Veckenschtein. He’s Jaeger.” How civilized. “We’re Vindice.” Caelum had to resist the chill that ran down his spine. He had heard of them before, from Daemon who grumbled about mafia police interrupting his mission or something. They were written in books as well, how these veterans captured the bad, the corrupted, and the sinned, locking all of them away into a cold, cold prison that was said to be worst that abyss itself.

He sat straight and frowned. “What pleasure do I owe to have Vindice personally come to me? Why are you guys following me?” For almost two months at that.

( _“What’s wrong?” Daemon asked as he flicked his scythe, it disappearing into nothing but indigo mist. Around him was bodies, corpse to be exact, all lifeless like they were never alive in the first place. Caelum hated that sight yet he said nothing about it._

_He broke out of his trance of staring at the tattoo on one of the dead men’s arm, a skull and turned to his mentor. “Must you kill them?” His question was silent, as though afraid of an answer. Daemon hummed. If he picked up on Caelum’s wavering mind, he never mentioned about it. “Not exactly, but as you can see, they were on the verge of insanity. Killing them is but an act of mercy to release them from the pain and suffering they will go through.”_

_True. They were already feeling the side effect of uncontrolled usage of flames. Burn marks littered on their arms, one or two had it on their chest, and another had it on their throat. It was too late. Their own flames were already attacking their own system without them knowing._

_They were slowly being killed inside out._

_It didn’t mean that Caelum prefer that method, however._

_He took a step back from his spot, metallic blue eyes glinting at the sight of the souls floating around, grey and dull. ‘To Death.’ The glowing balls disappeared._

_“My condolences.” He muttered. Daemon sighed, exasperated. He could understand, however, as Caelum_ was _a civilian before he became a vigilante. He wasn’t used to killing for the greater good. Well, neither was Giotto. Daemon was simply doing what he must, after all._

_He peeled off his gloves and threw it onto the ground. “Light it up, if you will?”_

_Caelum nodded and knelt onto the ground, fingers splayed as orange flames burned, spreading. The bodies were set on fire, a shield around it to make sure that nothing else but the bodies were burned. No ashes. No nothing. That was the perks of burning something with Dying Will Flames._

_It incinerates everything into nothing._

_No remains to proof something’s –_ someone _’s – existence._

_Caelum felt eyes boring holes onto his back and turned, almost getting a whiplash. Scowling as he looked around the forest, he carefully watched for any strays or witnesses. Worst case scenario would be Daemon screwing with their memory, or kill them. (He winced internally at that option.)_

_Daemon glanced back as well, sensing the shift in atmosphere. He raised an eyebrow, thoughtful. “… Let’s go.” He said after a moment, turning. “We shouldn’t be here any longer.” Whatever Vindice wanted at that moment, Daemon did not want to be a part of. Nor would he like to see Caelum get dragged into it. (Futile attempt, apparently.)_

_“Yeah.” Caelum hesitated before following after the older man._

_The constant chill never left even after they returned to the mansion._ )

Bermuda was definitely smiling under his bandage. “You’re interesting, Caelum. Your power, especially.” Caelum physically stopped himself from leaning back, hands clenched. “What power?” He asked, acting as though he understood nothing. It wasn’t working though. They could see through him easily.

“You know exactly what I’m referring to.” Bermuda floated over and hovered in front of him. “Your power – Sepira gave it to you, didn’t she?” Oh-  _oh._ “You, to watch over Time.” Bermuda didn’t know that it was the Gods that gave him the power- he didn’t know the extension of it.

… Should he tell him?

“… What about it?”

His small, cold hand reached over and caressed his cheeks. Caelum couldn’t breathe, fear burning in him.

“I’ll have you know, even if you are the watcher of Time, I will not hesitate to eliminate you should you stand in our way.”

Bermuda, seemly satisfied with his threat, floated back onto Jaeger’s shoulder. “Good day, Caelum.”

“Just what are you planning, Bermuda?”

The ginger could  _hear_  the smirk, blood thirsty smirk, filled with hatred and disgust and the want for revenge. “The Destruction.”

Vindice disappeared and the atmosphere warmed. Caelum gnawed on his lower lips. Even though they were gone, no longer there, their objective lingers, troubling. He hoped that whatever Vindice aimed for never came true.

(And centuries later, it didn’t.)

\--------------------------------------------------------

Silently, tiptoeing with slow breaths, high in alert, they sneaked in the dark, carefully heading down the hallway to one of the rooms. They slowly twisted the door knob with their gloved hand, pushing the door open slowly. They watched the sleeping man, waiting for him to open his eyes.

They tensed when he moved, twisting. He turned, but he did not wake, not even stirring a little.

( _A slip of tasteless sleeping powder into the tea with a hint of sugar was served to not all but only him, the one who would not suspect a single thing._

~~****_Foolish_ ** ** _._ ~~

_Lampo finished it without noticing anything._ )

Drugged.

Breathing out, they moved in slowly, footsteps silent as they went up to his bedside.

They stared at Lampo, a syringe in hand.

.

.

.

Lampo woke with a start, cold sweat clinging onto his skin. A nightmare. He breathed heavily as he scanned his room, forearm tingling. Nothing amiss. His flames that surrounded every corner of the room, dilute and unnoticeable as a layer of security, however, was aggravated.

His eyes zoomed in on the door knob.

Lightning crackled in him.

\--------------------------------------------------------

Lampo met Giotto personally, alone without telling anyone, a secret. It was the first thing he did the moment he knew the Sky was awake. He made sure, extra caution, that no one saw him going into Giotto’s room.

He softly told him and Giotto’s lips pulled down slowly as he did.

Giotto wanted nothing but to not hear the sentence again, but it was impossible, it seemed.

\--------------------------------------------------------

Knuckle was jogging in the dark, dawn yet to break. He was running laps around the village, greeting whoever had woke up early to get their business ready for the day. It was nice and peaceful. He jogged pass the church and prayed for the villager’s wealth, health and happiness, as always.

And he passed an alley, shadowed by a tall building. He paused, jogging on the spot instead. He looked at the alley and frowned.

“Hello?”

Silver glinted.

A gunshot resonated in the morning air.

\--------------------------------------------------------

Alaude glared at Caelum, who had been yawning since the moment he stepped into his office. Judging from the eyebags he sported, the ginger definitely did not sleep at all the previous night. It wasn’t unfamiliar, especially whenever Caelum had an attack, but he didn’t. Alaude would definitely know if he had an attack.

He had purposely stayed up for who knows what reason.

Growling, clutching his pen, Alaude called the ginger who was muttering under his breath, looking through a few reports and scrolls. “Caelum. Sleep.”

Caelum blinked at Alaude and it took him a few minutes to actually answer. “But I’m not tired.”

The older man scoffed. “And G’s hair is brown. Go to bed.” He ordered sternly. Caelum huffed, ruffling his already messy hair. “If I sleep now, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“I’m going to knock you out if you don’t.”

He pouted at Alaude and sighed, yawning again. Rolling his eyes at the pointed look, he nodded. “Alright,  _fine_.” He dragged out as he placed back the reports onto the shelves and shuffled over to the sofa. “Go back to your room.”

“No, here’s fine.” Caelum mused, lying on soft cotton and yawned, closing his eyes. “Here’s comfortable.” And it was safe. Alaude snorted inaudibly as Caelum’s breath evened out, asleep in matter of seconds.

He shook his head and walked over. He pulled off his jacket and placed it over the other man, brushing a stray hair from his face. He must be far too tired to be this dead to the world. Pursing his lips, he wondered why Caelum stayed up for the whole night as he walked back to his table, continuing his work.

A knock on the door and Alaude looked up. He debated on ignoring whoever it was and continue on with his work but he sensed something  _different_.

“Come in.”

Giotto lips were pulled thin as he stepped in, door quietly closed behind him. His eyes zoomed in on Caelum, who was asleep, before he met Alaude’s blue eyes. “There’s a traitor among us.” He said quietly.

Alaude’s eyes narrowed, leaning back slightly as he let the man further explain. “Lampo was drugged yesterday. Someone went into his room and drew his blood.”

“Why would anyone want his blood?”

Giotto shook his head. “I don’t know.” Alaude nodded, standing up. “Well, time for spring cleaning.”

He left the room, leaving Giotto and Caelum in it. Giotto’s orange eyes glinted in grey as he stared at the sleeping ginger.

(Caelum had heard it all.)

\--------------------------------------------------------

“Alaude.” Cozarto called out the beige-haired man who was patrolling, eyebrows pulled into a frown. He looked around, wary. Early in the morning, he noticed a shift in the atmosphere around the mansion. It wasn’t a huge one, minuscule actually, but it was a shift nonetheless. It was worrying, because it wasn’t the normal shift, but like an actual hole in the security bubble all seven of the guardians had put up.

“What’s going on?”

Alaude stared at him, judging. It took him a moment longer to finally said it. “An intruder.” He looked off to the side, staring at the passing workers who greeted them, scanning. Cozarto pursed his lips. The Cloud waited until the workers were long gone before he spoke. “Find Caelum and stay with him. Look at his eyes.”

Cozarto had to rerun the message a few times before he understood, and nodded. “Be careful.” He hurried off.

\--------------------------------------------------------

Cozarto bumped into Caelum in the hallways. The younger man was moving around, seemly aimless yet not. He was deep in thought and didn’t notice Cozarto until he almost full-body slam into the other. “Oh-! Sorry!” He backed up from Cozarto.

Cozarto’s eyes were wide. “No, it’s my fault. Are you alright?” He asked.

Caelum nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. Have you seen Knuckle? I’ve been looking for him the whole day.” The red-haired man frowned. Now that he thought about it, he had not seen the loud priest anywhere. Neither did he saw Asari and G but they could be with Giotto for all he knew.

Daemon? Well, he wasn’t exactly worried that he didn’t know where he was since he and Alaude were similar, always alone and place unknown.

“No.” That was concerning.

Caelum pursed his lips, a hand on his chin as he stared at those red orbs. “Could he be out on an errand…?” He wondered mostly to himself, but the other hear it.

“He could be.” Cozarto said. Caelum hummed. “Well, I should get going. I still need to finish that report that I haven’t started on.” He grumbled, giving him a lopsided smile and walked away.

“Oh, good luck!” Cozarto stared at his disappearing back down the corner of the hallway. He turned to the other end of the hallway, letting his flames lead him. Since the first day he met Caelum, their flames had bonded to each other, not harmonised as they were towards Giotto, but it was a bond nonetheless, as weak as it was.

He headed up the stairs and was at the Alaude’s side of quarters, smaller than the rest on the opposite end. He touched the wall and passed the Cloud’s room and another one, until he stopped.

He knocked on the wooden door and turned the knob without waiting for an answer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehehe I've actually forgotten to upload this lolol.
> 
> The part with Caelum wondering around town is set a few weeks after the ball. 
> 
> :DDD
> 
> Fun Fact= Alaude was seething upon seeing how the three drunks draped themselves all over Caelum, who did nothing to push them away. Poor Alaude XD
> 
> The part with the traitor is... Not what I planned. It popped out and swerved the whole story. orz. Brain why you do this?
> 
> [I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc. etc. mistakes]


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